The Mavericks have added another guard to the mix, officially landing Marcus Sasser in a six-team trade that became final Monday, July 6, when the NBA’s week-long free agency moratorium ended.
Sasser comes home to Dallas after spending his first three NBA seasons in Detroit. The Red Oak native, who played at the University of Houston before becoming a first-round pick, has averaged 7.0 points per game in his career while shooting 38 percent from 3-point range. In 166 career games, his best stretch came as a rookie in 2023-24, when he posted 8.3 points per game and logged a personal-high 19 minutes a night.
His role in Detroit shrank as the Pistons, powered by DFW native Cade Cunningham, climbed into Eastern Conference contention.
The deal also sent former Mavericks forward and veteran free agent Khris Middleton back to the Washington Wizards in a sign-and-trade. Middleton, who turns 35 next month, returned to the team he opened the 2025-26 season with after agreeing to a new three-year, $17.6 million contract.
For Dallas, Sasser is the first backcourt addition of Masai Ujiri’s free agency run. Kyrie Irving and Ryan Nembhard are set to return, and Sasser gives the Mavericks another scoring option in a part of the roster that had drawn plenty of skepticism after earlier moves.
Ujiri has already packed the frontcourt. Dallas added No. 9 overall pick Morez Johnson Jr. and 7-footer Aldama, joining a group that still includes centers Daniel Gafford, Moussa Cisse and Dereck Lively II, plus forwards P.J. Washington, Naji Marshall, Caleb Martin and Cooper Flagg.
Brandon Williams remains an unrestricted free agent, and that leaves open the possibility that Sasser’s arrival closes the book on Williams’ three-year run with the Mavericks.
As Kyler Fox noted, the two guards do not bring the same game to the floor, and Sasser may fit better with what Dusty May and the Mavericks want to do.
"Williams is more of a microwave scorer. He thrives attacking downhill and creating offense with the ball in his hands. He's a better shot creator than Sasser, but his outside shot remains inconsistent - as evidenced by the 23.2% clip he shot from three this past season ...
"The same year Williams was abysmal from deep coincided with Sasser's best perimeter-shooting season as a pro. He connected on 41.5% of his 2.8 attempts per game, potentially providing the Mavericks with more 3-point shooting off the bench."
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The path to getting it done was not simple, though, and the timing mattered. Biberovic had to clear an opt-out deadline tied to his Fenerbahce contract, and the Mavericks also had to navigate the buyout process under NBA rules before the signing could become official. For Dallas, it is the kind of overseas holdover resolution that can quietly matter, especially when a player has been on the radar long enough to become part of the franchises future planning. [Read more 🡒]
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The Mavericks spent the offseason attacking the same flaw that showed up too often last year: too many lineups that could not punish defenses from the perimeter. Through the 2026 draft and a series of trades, Dallas has added a cluster of players who at least bring shooting into the conversation, including Morez Johnson Jr., Sergio De Larrea and the draft rights to Vsevolod Ishchenko, while also bringing in Santi Aldama and Marcus Sasser to help reshape the spacing around Cooper Flagg.
Aldama is the most intriguing of the bunch because he gives Dallas a 7-foot forward who can stretch the floor, and Sasser offers another backcourt option who can score and shoot from deep. The bigger question now is how much of this shooting makeover actually sticks once the roster is finalized, because the Mavericks still have one more move in the pipeline that could determine whether this really is the fix they were looking for. [Read more 🡒]
Lakers Are Chasing Luka's Old Mavs Formula For Better Or Worse
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But there is a reason this kind of copycat approach comes with caution attached. Dallas version of the formula did not end with a championship, and the Lakers still have to answer the same kind of roster questions that can make or break a contender, especially on the wing where a dependable perimeter defender remains a major need. For Los Angeles, the challenge is not just looking like the Mavericks did, but proving the blueprint can actually take a team all the way. [Read more 🡒]