Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison (left) speaks with Phoenix Suns assistant coach David Fizdale (right) before the game at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Imagesimage captionDallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison (left) speaks with Phoenix Suns assistant coach David Fizdale (right) before the game at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison (left) speaks with Phoenix Suns assistant coach David Fizdale (right) before the game at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
The Dallas Mavericks will be without Kyrie Irving for a chunk of the 2025-26 season after the star point guard tore his ACL earlier this month. His ACL injury is expected to sideline him for nine months but at his age, the Mavericks might be more deliberate with his return and wait until March before reintegrating them into their playing roster.
The team made an enormous win-now bet by trading Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis, so the team doesn't have the choice to tank next season. They have to maximize what they can achieve on the court next year, and they can do so by adding an elite guard to carry the ship through right now and potentially be a solid alternate option to Irving as he slowly returns from a major career-altering injury at age 34.
The Portland Trail Blazers might have the perfect guard for the Mavericks.
Trade Details
Dallas Mavericks Receive: Anfernee Simons
Portland Trail Blazers Receive: Klay Thompson, Naji Marshall, 2026 First-Round Pick Swap (DAL)
This deal marks the Blazers' desire to start playing more winning basketball after multiple years of tanking. Scoot Henderson is proving he's not a bust and needs free reign over the team's point guard position instead of fighting Simons for it. Simons is better right now, but Scoot's potential means he gets moved out for two win-now players in the short term.
The Mavericks Hope To Remain A Contender
The Mavericks' current injury crisis may make people think the team has some insurmountable issues coming ahead, but most of their roster will be healthy by the end of the regular season or the Playoff months. The only ones who won't be cleared are Kyrie and Olivier Maxence-Prosper. Instead of wasting the great health of the others while Kyrie recovers, the team needs to add a capable point guard option to keep the team afloat.
Simons is averaging 19.4 points and 4.8 assists this season. While he might not be the perfect on-court fit alongside Kyrie, he is an elite enough replacement to boost the Mavs' chances. They likely won't be the starting backcourt together after Irving gets healthy, meaning Simons either bets moved for other players or plays the season out as a highly reliable secondary option behind Irving as he readjusts to the NBA.
This deal keeps Dallas in the conversation of contenders, although it does seem to be a temporary fix. They have depth in the positions they sent out, so adding a high-contributor like Simons could be great.
Blazers Signal Playoff Intentions
Damian Lillard seemingly made the Trail Blazers a perennial Playoff team during his stint with the franchise, although the team hasn't made it to the postseason since 2920. Their rebuild has been slow and agonizing, but they've put together a very competitive young roster who are outside contenders for a Play-In Tournament right now. Acquiring Klay and Naji would be a message to the rest of the East.
Klay's having another down season but averaging 14.4 points. He'll likely regress but could provide great value to Portland as a veteran and corner shooting option. Naji Marshall is averaging 12.7 points and 4.7 rebounds this season, likely being a major rotational wing player alongside Toumani Camara.
With the team having an outside chance at making the Playoffs right now, next season would be a natural evolution into being a bonafide top-10 team. If they want their core to lead them to it, adding Klay and Naji as rotational players might be the perfect pieces of glue needed by the franchise.
Both Teams Get What They Need
The Mavericks trading for Simons with their current situation is odd. However, they do need to have an elite perimeter option to have any hope of being competitive next season. Their best hope is that Simons plays well enough to keep them afloat through the start of the season so that he has better value in the market whenever Irving is nearing a return.
That's a hard game to play, especially when the Mavericks give up real value to the Blazers. Klay and Naji are great players and will play a crucial role in the Blazers' return to success. Dallas gets the younger guard scorer they needed to keep them competitive while the Blazers needed to clear up their guard logjam, which this trade does perfectly.
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