The Dallas Mavericks finally pulled the trigger on what has seemed like the most inevitable and most probable front office shakeup in the NBA. General manager Nico Harrison is finally out of his post, and the Mavs' ownership is now looking for the next leader of the team's brain trust — with minority owner Mark Cuban reportedly seeking Detroit Pistons senior vice president of basketball operations Dennis Lindsey, a former advisor for the team, to take over.
Now, it's not quite clear if Lindsey will be leaving his post with the Pistons considering how successful the team has become under his watchful eye. But the Mavericks need someone with courage to face the wrath of fans as well as the fortitude and composure to not rush into any roster decisions.
Entering the 2025-26 season, the Mavericks looked like a dark-horse candidate to compete for a playoff spot considering how deep their frontcourt was. Alas, that depth was only found on paper. Anthony Davis and Dereck Lively II were injured shortly into the new campaign, and Daniel Gafford has only recently returned to action.
They have scuffled towards a 3-8 start to the new season heading into their Wednesday night clash against the Phoenix Suns, and it's looking like their most reasonable course of action from here on out is to tank so they could add another blue-chip prospect in a rare year where they're in control of their first-round pick.
That doesn't mean that they should trade Davis. That is going to anger the Mavericks' fanbase even further, as seeing the main piece they got in the Doncic trade switch teams in less than a year since acquiring him would add even further insult to injury.
To that end, here are some trades the Mavericks must consider pursuing.
Mavericks send Daniel Gafford to playoff hopeful Blazers
Mavericks trade: Daniel Gafford
Blazers trade: Robert Williams III, 2028 first-round pick (from ORL)
There are plenty of rumors swirling around that the Mavericks might end up trading Gafford away amid their plunge down the league's basement. And there are plenty of reasons as to why this makes sense.
Gafford has three years remaining on his contract that has a total of $54 million remaining, and if the team were to undergo a bit of a reset, recouping some future assets for him makes sense especially when he'll be third-fiddle at best behind Davis and Lively when the team gets healthier.
The Mavericks acquired Gafford in February 2024, sending a 2024 first-round pick by way of the Oklahoma City Thunder to the Washington Wizards in the process. Now, Gafford's value has not changed much since then. At this point, he is pretty much a known commodity. He is one of the best lob threats in the NBA, and he can swat shots like it's nobody's business.
He's at his best whenever he plays with a point guard who knows how to navigate the pick and roll. Suffice to say, the Mavs don't have much backcourt depth at the moment, making everything difficult for the highflying center.
Nevertheless, Gafford is under contract for three more years at a reasonable enough price that the Mavericks should still be able to at least recoup a first-round pick for him. Enter the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Blazers have been very competitive to start the season, and it's clear that they are pushing for a spot in the play-in tournament at the very least. But their depth is questionable, and Donovan Clingan, as talented as he is, has some very glaring limitations on both ends of the court that a playoff hopeful may want to mitigate.
Gafford should help insure the Blazers' center situation, and despite his injury problems in the past, he is still less of an injury risk than Williams. Getting the Magic's first-round pick in 2028 should be enough, as the Mavericks look to restock their chest of future assets under new management.
Just pull the plug on the D'Angelo Russell experiment
Mavericks trade: D'Angelo Russell, cash considerations
Nets trade: 2026 second-round pick from ATL (top-55 protected)
Signing Russell to act as a stopgap option amid Irving's injury seemed like a very good idea for the Mavericks. Russell has his drawbacks (he runs hot and cold and his defense leaves a lot to be desired), but as far as shot-creating playmakers go, he was the best one Dallas could afford in free agency.
But it's telling that head coach Jason Kidd would rather hand point guard duties to Cooper Flagg over trusting Russell with the role to begin the season. Moreover, Kidd, after a few games of deploying Russell in the starting lineup, has now decided to instead trust Brandon Williams with the job instead of the 10-year veteran.
The Mavs clearly don't trust Russell, and he'll be under contract until next year. (At this rate, he'll be accepting his player option for next season worth nearly $6 million.)
It might be better for the Mavs to just dump Russell to a team that can absorb his cap hit without receiving any sort of value in return. This trade works out well, with the Brooklyn Nets getting some cash for their troubles.
Rescue Dennis Schroder from the Kings
Mavericks trade: Caleb Martin, Jaden Hardy, 2032 second-round pick
Kings trade: Dennis Schroder
With Russell leaving in this hypothetical, the Mavericks are going to be even thinner in the backcourt amid Irving's injury. Acquiring a replacement is a must. Why not try and rescue Schroder from the Kings?
Schroder is finding himself a bit marginalized in Sacramento. Russell Westbrook has been very productive, but he's been eating into Schroder's production. Over his past three games, he's scored a total of five points and made a grand total of one field goal in 19 attempts.
With the Mavs, he at least provides some rim pressure and slashing. He has experience playing alongside Davis, so that synergy should help the team as well. And considering how poorly he's been playing, he should be available for a bargain price — especially with Sacramento having to unclog that logjam in their backcourt.
