DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks finished 26-56 last season, 12th in the Western Conference. Mike Schmitz, hired as general manager on May 8, said the roster Dallas has assembled since then is bigger, longer, and more skilled. He made the comments Friday on “G-Bag Nation” on 105.3 The Fan.
On May 4, Dallas named Masai Ujiri president of basketball operations and alternate governor. Schmitz arrived four days later from the Portland Trail Blazers, where he was an assistant general manager. The Mavericks and coach Jason Kidd parted ways May 19. Dusty May was hired June 22, a day before the draft.
Dallas ranked 27th of 30 in offensive rating at 110.3. The Mavericks shot 52.7% on effective field goals, tied for 27th. They made 11.0 3-pointers a game on 31.9 attempts and shot 34.4% from 3-point range. Their offensive rebounding rate of 27.9% tied for 26th.
Maximizing Cooper Flagg‘s talent is the standard Schmitz has set for this roster. He considers it in good enough shape to meet that.
“We definitely feel like we’ve upgraded in a variety of ways, with our size, length and skill level,” Schmitz said. “We’re constantly evaluating ways to get better, but at this point, we feel like we’ve added to our talent base, and added some skill sets that complement several of our players.
“You’ve heard coach [Dusty May] talk about wanting to be more entertaining, and to play a brand of basketball that people want to watch,” Schmitz continued. “And I think we’ve done that with Cooper, Kyrie and the rest of this group.”
Dallas Mavericks Add Morez Johnson Jr., Sergio de Larrea In First Round
At No. 9, Dallas took Morez Johnson Jr., a power forward who played last season for May at Michigan. Johnson averaged 13.1 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.2 assists for the national champions. He was named second-team All-Big Ten and to the Big Ten All-Defensive Team.
Later in the round, the Mavericks acquired the draft rights to Sergio de Larrea, taken 25th overall by the Los Angeles Lakers and routed through the New York Knicks. Dallas moved up from No. 30 to get him. De Larrea is a 20-year-old guard from Valladolid, Spain. He was voted Liga ACB Best Young Player last season with Valencia.
Zaccharie Risacher And Santi Aldama Arrive In Trades
On July 19, Dallas acquired Zaccharie Risacher from the Atlanta Hawks in a three-team trade that sent Luguentz Dort from the Oklahoma City Thunder to Atlanta. Ryan Nembhard and a 2027 second-round pick went to the Hawks. Risacher was the first overall pick in the 2024 draft. In 67 games for Atlanta last season, he averaged 9.6 points and 3.8 rebounds.
A six-team trade brought Santi Aldama from Memphis and Marcus Sasser from Detroit to Dallas. The Mavericks also acquired the draft rights to Tarik Biberović. Khris Middleton and a 2033 second-round pick went to the Washington Wizards. AJ Johnson, a top-20 protected 2030 first-round pick, and a 2029 second-round pick went to Memphis. Biberovic later signed a two-year, $6 million contract that includes a team option for 2027-28.
Kyrie Irving Returns To A Crowded Depth Chart
Dallas carries 16 players on standard contracts and can keep 15.
Kyrie Irving has not played since March 3, 2025, when he tore the ACL in his left knee against the Sacramento Kings. Dallas ruled him out for all of last season on Feb. 18. In 50 games in 2024-25 before the injury, he averaged 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists.
Flagg won Rookie of the Year in April with 56 of 100 first-place votes. He averaged 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 4.5 assists in 70 starts and shot 46.8% from the field.
On Aug. 2, the Mavericks extended Naji Marshall on a three-year, $52.2 million deal running through 2029-30. Klay Thompson enters the final year of his contract at $17.5 million. Thompson shot 38.3% from 3-point range in 69 games last season. Max Christie shot 40.4% on 5.8 attempts a game across 77 games.
The regular season starts on October 21 in Houston, with a tip-off at 7:30 p.m. CT versus the Houston Rockets.
