It’s no secret that the Dallas Mavericks need a long-term backcourt solution.
Things have looked rough for Dallas on that part of the floor so far this year. Nine-time All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving tore his ACL last March, and will likely miss at least the first few months of the 2025-26 season recuperating.
The Mavericks brought in erratic former All-Star guard D’Angelo Russell to replace him, inking the 6-foot-4 Ohio State product to a two-year, $13 million deal.
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But Dallas head coach Jason Kidd doesn’t trust Russell with the keys to his offense. Kidd opted to play Russell sparingly off the bench in his first two regular season contests after an ominous preseason run, starting 6-foot-10 rookie forward Cooper Flagg at the point instead. He had zero assists in his first game.
Russell was finally shifted to a starting role for Dallas’ lone win of its four games this season, a clash with the Toronto Raptors on Sunday. He scored 24 points on 8-of-18 shooting from the floor and 6-of-8 shooting from the foul line, chipping in six assists and five rebounds to boot. Against the Oklahoma City Thunder, however, Russell’s inconsistency reared its head, as he scored just nine points on 3-of-14 shooting fro the field, while dishing out 10 assists.
Cooper Flagg, all of 18, represents the Mavericks’ future. The 29-year-old Russell and even the 33-year-old Irving are stopgaps. Dallas has poured most of its money and energy into wings and frontcourt pieces so far, on a mismatched roster that had been designed to accentuate the gifts of five-time All-NBA First Team superstar guard Luka Doncic, now with the Los Angeles Lakers.
It would behoove Dallas president Nico Harrison (or whoever invariably replaces him at the role, something that has felt destined to happen since that blockbuster Doncic trade last February) to bring in younger, higher-upside help with more flair as a passer.
The Chicago Bulls may be on a three-game win streak right now, but their front office has also proven itself to be almost as easy to exploit in trades as Harrison.
Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report proposes a fresh Chicago trade target for the Mavericks to better balance their awkwardly aligned roster.
Chicago guard Coby White, who at 6-foot-5 has the size and quickness to player either guard position, has quietly been ascendant for years. Unleashed by Billy Donovan recently, the 26-year-old North Carolina product enjoyed his best individual season ever in 2024-25, averaging a career-high 20.4 points on .453/.370/.902 shooting splits, 4.5 dimes, 3.7 boards, and 0.9 steals per game in his 74 healthy contests.
He’s currently on the mend from a calf injury, and could make his season debut after being reassessed next week.
White has enough court vision to take over primary ball handler duties (he was a point guard in 2023-24, but was moved to a shooting guard role after Chicago traded for Josh Giddey ahead of the 2024-25 season), and would at least start out in that gig for the Mavericks. Flagg has upside as a playmaker, sure, but would thrive more as a secondary distributor option.
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