The Mavericks still have a perimeter-defense problem, but the strange part is that one of their best answers might be fighting just to get on the floor.
Caleb Martin gives Dallas exactly what it sorely lacked last season: a physical, stout point-of-attack defender with the length and lateral quickness to stay attached to elite ball handlers. He can take the first matchup, absorb contact, and make life uncomfortable for guards. That part of his game is clear.
The issue is everything else around him. Offensively, Martin is more of a wing than a guard, best used at the three, where his shooting can swing from night to night and where he doesn’t offer much self-creation beyond the occasional drive off a closeout. That makes his path to minutes a lot less straightforward on this roster.
And right now, Dallas is crowded in all the wrong places for him. Naji Marshall, Cooper Flagg, Zaccharie Risacher, Tarik Biberovic, P.J.
Washington, and even Klay Thompson all fit best on the wing or at small forward. Dusty May can shuffle some of those names between shooting guard and power forward, but even with that flexibility, there just doesn’t look like much room left over for Martin.
He averaged 14.8 minutes per game last season, and matching that number next season feels like a tough ask.
There is still a path, though it’s a narrow one. If Martin hits open 3-pointers and continues to function as a connector by moving the ball after attacking closeouts, he can make a case for himself at small forward. But nothing is going to be handed to him in a rotation this packed.
That’s what makes his season so important. Dallas needs the defensive version of Martin, especially the one who can bother opposing guards.
But the Mavericks also need him to avoid the offensive issues that showed up early in his time with the team and to stay healthy enough to matter. Those are real hurdles, and they’re part of why he hasn’t become the player Dallas wanted when it traded Quentin Grimes for him at the 2025 trade deadline.
Martin will turn 31 years old before next season and is set to make $10 million next season, with free agency coming in 2028. That puts him in a spot where a strong year could set him up for another solid NBA deal. It also leaves Dallas with little trade value to work with if things don’t click.
So the hope is simple: Martin plays well, disrupts guards at the point of attack, and forces his way into the mix. The problem is that on this roster, even that might not be enough.
In Other News...
Mavs May Have Found A Rookie Who Can Help Sooner Than Expected
Morez Johnson Jr. has given the Mavericks an encouraging early look in Las Vegas, and it has come fast enough to make people around the team wonder how long it might take before his game translates to the next level. The recent Michigan standout, a No. 9 overall pick in the NBA Draft, has looked comfortable in Summer League action for Dallas, producing across the board while showing the kind of defensive presence that can travel with him once the games start to count.
Ryan Nembhard was among those impressed, pointing to Johnsons value beyond the box score and the way he affects both ends of the floor. That matters for a Mavericks team trying to sort out who can help under first-year coach Jason Kidd, who already knows Johnson from their time together at Michigan. The promise is obvious, but so is the patience required as Dallas figures out how quickly a rookie with this kind of two-way profile can be trusted in a real rotation. [Read more 🡒]
Mavericks Fans Have One Big Concern About Zaccharie Risacher's Fit
Zaccharie Risacher arrives in Dallas with the kind of long-wing profile that usually draws interest from teams trying to build a modern, versatile offense. The former No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft is still early in his career, and the Mavericks do have time to let his game breathe, with two years left on his rookie deal and a roster that is clearly being reshaped around youth and upside.
The question is whether this is the best environment for that development right now. Dallas has been operating in the bottom quarter of several key offensive categories, and a playmaker who thrives when a floor general can find him in the right spots may not always get that clean of a runway here. Kyrie Irvings return, Cooper Flaggs presence and the broader roster turnover could change the picture quickly, but for the moment the fit is still one of the more interesting issues hanging over the Mavericks youth movement. [Read more 🡒]