The Mavericks are set up to give Zaccharie Risacher something he couldn’t get in Atlanta: a real shot.
That matters because the former No. 1 pick never settled into a secure role with the Hawks, and by the end of the 2025-26 season, he had slid to the edge of the rotation. In Atlanta’s six-game first-round series against the New York Knicks, Risacher was a DNP-CD three times. The message was hard to miss, and it grew louder as the playoffs went on.
For a player drafted two summers earlier to be a franchise cornerstone, that kind of finish stings. Risacher was frustrated with how things played out, and the numbers told the story of a role that kept shrinking.
He started the season playing more than 25 minutes a night in November, then was down to about 15 minutes per game in March. Near the end of the regular season, he logged the first DNP-CD of his NBA career against the Cleveland Cavaliers, a clear warning sign before the playoffs arrived.
He addressed that frustration earlier this offseason.
"It was a pretty frustrating season because the playing time I got just kept decreasing over time," Risacher said.
That’s the backdrop for why Dallas looks so different. The Mavericks went after him on the trade market, first targeting him at the trade deadline before eventually landing him in the offseason.
That alone says plenty about how they view him. They didn’t make the move to stash him away; they made it because they expect him to help, and help now.
He may not walk into a starting job or 30 minutes a night, but it would be a surprise if he’s not in the rotation. Dallas is a young team in the middle of a rebuild around Cooper Flagg, and Masai Ujiri has already made it clear that patience will be part of the process.
At the same time, the Mavericks don’t own their first-round pick in 2027, so there’s no real reward in dragging out the rebuild next season. Winning is still the goal, just not on a fast track.
That’s why this move could be exactly what Risacher needs. In Atlanta, the trust faded.
In Dallas, the expectation is that he’ll get clarity, minutes, and a path to grow. The Mavericks have a reputation for developing young players, something tied to Dusty May’s work with the Michigan Wolverines and Ujiri’s history with the Toronto Raptors.
For a 21-year-old wing who watched his role disappear in Atlanta, that kind of environment is a lot more appealing.
The Hawks denied him the opportunity he wanted. The Mavericks can give it back.
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