Sources: Dallas Mavericks Sign Naji Marshall To Three-Year, $52.2 Million Extension

DALLAS — Forward Naji Marshall and the Dallas Mavericks have agreed to a three-year, $52.2 million contract extension, sources told Dallas Sports Journal. The deal is fully guaranteed.

The new deal pays Marshall an average of $17.4 million per season. He had been earning $9 million per year on the contract he signed with Dallas in the summer of 2024.

Last season was the best of his six in the NBA. Marshall put up 15.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 3.3 assists across 74 games, career highs in all three. He shot 51.0% from the floor, another career mark. Dusty May‘s staff inherits a forward who logged 29.5 minutes a night and started 47 games, the heaviest workload of Marshall’s career.

Six of those nights ended with 30 or more points.

Mavericks President of Basketball Operations Masai Ujiri addressed the extension in the team’s Sunday release.

“Naji has earned this opportunity through the way he approaches the game every day,” Ujiri said. “He is a competitive player who impacts winning in a variety of ways. His versatility, toughness and willingness to embrace every challenge make him an important part of what we’re building.”

What Naji Marshall Became In Dallas

Marshall played 230 games for the New Orleans Pelicans and never once scored 30. Since arriving in Dallas, he has done it eight times in 143 games.

The two-year body of work in North Texas reads 14.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 3.1 assists. He has started 78 games as a Maverick. His shooting sits at 50.9% from the field and 77.8% at the free-throw line over that span.

Career totals now cover 373 games and 114 starts. Marshall has averaged 10.1 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.5 assists, with 0.8 steals in 23.0 minutes.

The Deal Naji Marshall Was Playing Out

Dallas signed Marshall on July 6, 2024, to a three-year, $27 million contract. The last season of that agreement was set to pay him $9,428,571, per Spotrac. Unrestricted free agency was waiting for him in the summer of 2027.

His extension window opened in July. Under the veteran extension rules, four years and $56.8 million was the ceiling, as Dallas Sports Journal reported in March. Holding off until next summer would have handed the Mavericks his Full Bird rights and pushed the ceiling to five years and $73.9 million.

Then-Mavericks coach Jason Kidd pointed to Marshall in late March, with the club headed toward 26-56 and several players finishing out contracts.

“Using Naji as an example, he’s doing the right thing, and we have quite a few guys doing that,” Kidd said after a 100-93 win at Portland.

A New Front Office Makes Its Call

Ujiri arrived May 4 and brought in general manager Mike Schmitz within days. May was announced as head coach on the morning of the 2026 NBA Draft.

Since then, Dallas has traded for Zaccharie Risacher, Santi Aldama, Marcus Sasser, and Tarik Biberovic. Morez Johnson Jr. went to the Mavericks at No. 9. Dallas matched a two-year offer sheet the New York Knicks put in front of center Moussa Cisse.

Marshall becomes the first veteran on the roster to be locked up long term by the new regime. Max Christie is also extension-eligible. Dereck Lively II has had talks of his own. Cooper Flagg enters year two coming off Rookie of the Year honors.

Nobody called Marshall’s name in the 2020 NBA Draft. He caught on with New Orleans on a two-way contract and stayed four years. Before that came three seasons at Xavier, where he made the Big East All-Freshman Team in 2017-18, All-Big East Second Team in 2018-19, and All-Big East First Team in 2019-20.

The 28-year-old wore No. 13 through his first two seasons in Dallas. He switches to No. 3 in 2026-27.