The Dallas Mavericks are in need of reinforcements at the point guard slot for the 2025-26 season, and they appear to be targeting some notable names. NBA insider Shams Charania listed out the guards that the Mavericks will look to acquire in free agency using their taxpayer-midlevel exception.
“The Mavs are expected to open up the $5.7 million taxpayer midlevel exception by signing Irving to this deal, sources said. Potential targets for that salary slot would have included Dennis Schroder, D’Angelo Russell, Chris Paul, and Malcolm Brogdon, sources said.”
The Mavericks are set to re-sign Kyrie Irving to a three-year, $119 million deal, but he will miss the start of next season. Irving tore his ACL in March 2025 during a game against the Sacramento Kings, and there is optimism that he’ll be back in January 2026.
The Mavericks already needed a quality backup for Irving, but the injury has now put them in need of someone who is capable of stepping into the starting lineup for an extended period of time as well. The four names Charania mentioned are capable of that.
Dennis Schroder averaged 13.1 points, 2.6 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game for the Brooklyn Nets, Golden State Warriors, and Detroit Pistons in 2024-25. Schroder also played alongside Mavericks superstar Anthony Davis on the Los Angeles Lakers and would be a quality addition.
D’Angelo Russell also played with Davis on the Lakers, with both men being traded by the team midseason. Russell ended up averaging 12.6 points, 2.8 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game for the Lakers and Nets in 2024-25. The chemistry with Davis makes him another intriguing option.
Unlike Schroder and Russell, Chris Paul doesn’t have much of a connection with anyone on the Mavericks, but the veteran would be a fine addition nonetheless. Paul averaged 8.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game for the San Antonio Spurs in 2024-25.
Paul has been linked to the Mavericks previously, and a pure floor general like him would greatly help the likes of Davis, Klay Thompson, and Cooper Flagg. Flagg is set to be selected with the first pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, and Paul can be a great mentor for him as well.
Lastly, we get to Malcolm Brogdon, who should ideally be the fourth choice among this group. Brogdon averaged 12.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 0.5 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game for the Washington Wizards in 2024-25.
Brogdon would be a quality backup or a stop-gap starter, but injuries are a big concern when it comes to him. He has played 63 games combined in the last two seasons and isn’t someone you can really rely on. The last thing the Mavericks need is for their temporary replacement for Irving in the lineup to get injured as well.
It will be quite interesting to see what direction the Mavericks end up going in. They have title aspirations and could potentially go on a run once Irving returns. They’ll have to stay afloat in a brutal Western Conference for a couple of months without him, though, and getting the right guard in free agency would certainly help accomplish that.
