Tarik Biberovic says the move he has wanted for years is finally here, and the Mavericks are the team that made it happen.
Speaking Friday for the first time since signing with Dallas in July, the guard/forward said the organization had long felt like a natural fit. He pointed to general manager Mike Schmitz, a familiar face from his younger days, and said that connection helped smooth the transition.
“I’ve known [general manager] Mike Schmitz since I was very young because he’s like one of the best people who scout players,” Biberovic explained. “He knows all about European players.
So, that was kind of like a comfort zone that we had. When the Mavericks [acquired] my rights, I talked with [president] Mr.
Masai [Ujiri] and Mike Schmitz. We were on the same page.
“My dream was always to commit to the NBA, and the Dallas Mavericks organization stepped up and gave me that chance.”
Biberovic comes to Dallas after eight seasons with Turkish club Fenerbahce, where he helped the team win a EuroLeague title in 2025 and multiple domestic championships in recent years. The 6-foot-7 wing has built his reputation as a sharp shooter, and his 2025/26 EuroLeague line backed that up: .524/.419/.952 across 41 games. He averaged 11.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 24.3 minutes per game.
He said former NBA players now competing overseas pushed him toward making the leap. Their message, he said, was clear.
“The players who’ve been here, who played in the NBA, and now they’re playing in EuroLeague, all of them were telling me that I should go to the league, because the plays are basically made for players like me that can shoot, that can space the floor, and that can defend, and the energy and enthusiasm,” said Biberovic. “I actually liked the way they talked to me, because I kind of felt empowered and enlightened to take this step.”
Dallas’ other offseason additions are also settling in. Zaccharie Risacher, the No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft, said he’s looking forward to a reset after two seasons in Atlanta. He was traded to the Mavericks in July and said the move gives him a chance to show more of himself.
“It’s been good,” Risacher said of the trade. “I’ve learned a lot from my two seasons.
Just being able to play at a high level and competing every night has been great. … Just being able to be myself for the team.
It’s going to be a huge thing for me. I know what I can do.
Like I said, super excited. I’m in the right position to be good, to be great.”
Santi Aldama, meanwhile, is still working back from an arthroscopic procedure on his right knee, but he said the recovery is moving in the right direction. Asked whether he would be fully involved when training camp opened Saturday, he left that in the hands of the medical staff.
“I think that’s TBD more on the medical side,” Aldama said. “I’m feeling better every day. I’m doing a bunch of stuff on the court right now, so yeah, just excited to get there every day, get better every day, and then be at 100% as soon as possible.”
Aldama also discussed Sergio de Larrea, the 20-year-old guard taken 25th overall in June’s draft. Aldama believes the NBA’s pace-and-space game fits de Larrea well, and de Larrea said he feels the same way.
“I think it fits very well,” de Larrea said. “This past year in Valencia, we used to play that fast.
So, I think I’m a little bit used to it. Probably here it’s faster.
But I’m comfortable playing that style of game, trying to play fast, a lot of possessions, trying to shoot the best shot possible, but not in the end, in the first eight seconds. So, I’m very, very comfortable with that.”
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