Memphis Grizzlies forward Santi Aldama, left, shoots over Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren, right, during the first half in Game 1 of an NBA first-round playoff series, Tuesday, April 22, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Kyle Phillips)
Kyle Phillips/AP
LAS VEGAS — Masai Ujiri and Mike Schmitz have tactfully reshaped the margins of their roster through the NBA draft and trade market in what’s been an active offseason for the Dallas Mavericks front office duo.
The core of Cooper Flagg, Kyrie Irving and Dereck Lively II remains intact after a frenetic week of free agency, which officially opened Monday once the moratorium period ended. On Tuesday, the Mavericks played part in a massive, but complex six-team trade that sent Khris Middleton back to the Washington Wizards along with a 2033 second-round pick, as part of a sign-and-trade deal worth three years and $17.6 million.
They also sent AJ Johnson, a top-20 protected 2030 first-round pick (via Golden State) and a 2029 second-round pick (via Houston) to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for the acquisition of Santi Aldama and the draft rights to Tarik Biberovic. Lastly, Dallas bolstered guard depth by trading with the Detroit Pistons for fourth-year guard Marcus Sasser.
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The deal, which also included the LA Clippers and Milwaukee Bucks, ties the second-largest trade in NBA history — which also featured the Mavericks when they acquired Klay Thompson from the Warriors in 2024. Last offseason featured a seven-team trade that allowed Houston to acquire Kevin Durant in what became the largest transaction in league history.
On the surface, the deal allows the Mavericks to improve their 3-point shooting by adding a 7-1 forward/center who can spread the floor, a microwave scorer in Sasser who could have more opportunity in his hometown of Dallas and a promising prospect in Biberovic who shot 39.9% from beyond the arc across 36 EuroLeague games.
The underlying win for the Mavericks is the creative maneuvering by the front office, which also includes Andrew Baker, vice president of basketball strategy and analytics. It was initially believed that the acquisition of Aldama’s $17 million contract would be absorbed by the team’s $20.8 million trade exception created by the Anthony Davis trade. However, because of Middleton’s sign-and-trade, the Mavericks will preserve that trade exception in case Ujiri and Schmitz decide to trade for a high-salary player.
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Sasser’s salary of $5.1 million will likely be absorbed into Dallas’ bi-annual exception of $5.4 million, leaving them access to their most important free agency tool: the non-taxpayer midlevel exception worth $15 million. The Mavericks will have the option to use that grant to sign Biberovic, who is expected to make the leap to the NBA next season after spending the past eight seasons playing professional basketball for Fenerbahce in Turkey.
Detroit Pistons guard Marcus Sasser (25) handles the ball ahead of Memphis Grizzlies guard Scotty Pippen Jr. (1) in the second half of an NBA basketball preseason game Monday, Oct. 6, 2025, in Memphis, Tenn.
Brandon Dill/AP
The Mavericks are more balanced as a roster with their latest transactions, standing at 15 counting the unsigned Biberovic.
There is a training camp competition likely brewing between Sasser, Ryan Nembhard and Sergio De Larrea for backup point guard minutes behind Irving. Sasser, who turns 26 in September, is on an expiring $5.1 million contract. He played in 38 games last season with Detroit, averaging 5.2 points and 2.0 assists in a career-low 12 minutes per game.
Their shooters include Max Christie and Thompson, who served as Dallas’ primary volume perimeter threats last season. However, that duo could be expanded to a trio with the presumed addition of Biberovic.
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Dallas is strongest in the frontcourt, highlighted by Flagg, P.J. Washington, Naji Marshall and Morez Johnson Jr., who will make his Summer League debut Thursday against the Warriors. And Aldama adds another big man who will come in handy in case Lively is unable to start the season healthy alongside Daniel Gafford.
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Aldama, 25, has two seasons left on his deal, including a team option for 2027-28 and is a career 34.6% shooter from 3-point range. He played in just 43 games last season and missed the final 33 games because of a right knee injury that required an arthroscopic procedure and an orthobiologic injection, but he is expected to be fully healthy for training camp. He averaged 14 points in 27.9 minutes per game.
The Mavericks also have access to their three two-way players: John Poulakidas, Tyler Smith and 48th overall pick Tobi Lawal.
Middleton and Marvin Bagley III are the only losses in free agency thus far, but a nearly full roster suggests the team will opt not to re-sign unrestricted free agents Brandon Williams and Dwight Powell, who spent the last 12 seasons in a Mavericks uniform.
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There’s plenty of time until the offseason ends, but the Mavericks have vastly improved their roster without sacrificing the continuity of their nucleus.
Here’s an idea of how the Mavericks’ depth chart could look as of Wednesday evening:
PG: Kyrie Irving, Marcus Sasser, Ryan Nembhard, Segio De Larrea.
SG: Max Christie, Klay Thompson, Tarik Biberovic*, John Poulakidas (two-way)
SF: Cooper Flagg, Naji Marshall, Caleb Martin, Tobi Lawal (two-way)
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PF: P.J. Washington, Morez Johnson Jr., Santi Aldama
C: Daniel Gafford, Dereck Lively II
*Biberovic remains unsigned.