The Dallas Mavericks have an important offseason ahead of them as they try to win the trust of the fanbase back after trading away Luka Doncic. They were gifted a golden chance to do so when they landed the first overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft despite a 1.8% chance and all indications point to the Mavs selecting Duke star Cooper Flagg with that top pick in June's draft.
That will solidify a good majority of the Mavs' starting lineup, with Flagg slated to start at small forward, Klay Thompson at shooting guard, Anthony Davis at power forward, and Dereck Lively II at center.
READ MORE: Cooper Flagg's real reaction to Mavericks winning first overall pick revealed
Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving
Feb 8, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) during the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Houston Rockets at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Kyrie Irving would be starting at point guard, but he tore his ACL in March, and while the return target date is somewhere in January, there's no guarantee he'll be at 100% by then. That leaves the Mavs with a gaping hole for their lead guard.
ESPN's Shams Charania reported on Wednesday, “I’m told the Mavericks will be pursuing a point guard. Whether that’s in the trade market or free agency, that is a big priority for them.”
Shams Charania:
“The Mavericks will be pursuing a point guard, whether that's in the trade market, in free agency.”
Also adds that Kyrie could be targeting a return in January 👀
pic.twitter.com/kCGtmOR3Bl
— MFFL NATION (@NationMffl) May 14, 2025
Dallas only has Jaden Hardy and Brandon Williams on the roster right now outside of Irving, as Dante Exum and Spencer Dinwiddie are free agents. They don't have enough cap/tax apron flexibility to sign someone unless it's on a minimum contract, so that would be in the Russell Westbrook, Tyus Jones, or Cam Payne realm of players unless they could convince someone like Dennis Schroder to take a minimum deal to chase a championship.
Trading for someone may be the easier option. They have too many frontcourt players, with guys like Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington already being floated out as guys who could possibly be on the move. They're both making about $14 million next season, which should be a good target number for a fill-in starting point guard until Irving can return.
Marc Stein of the DLLS network reported that he doesn't expect that target to be Coby White, because although he has a smaller salary, it would likely take a decent amount of draft capital to pry him out of Chicago. But there will be plenty of options for the Mavs to explore this offseason.
READ MORE: Mavericks land $100 million Blazers guard in three-team trade proposal with Lakers
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