Projecting the Mavericks Starting Lineup and Rotation After the Trade Deadline

Now that the trade deadline has come and gone, here's a look at what the Mavericks look like now.

Dec 18, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Naji Marshall (13) and forward Cooper Flagg (32) look during the game between the Pistons and Mavericks at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The NBA trade deadline has come and gone for the Dallas Mavericks, and they made one of the big blockbusters of the season, sending Anthony Davis, along with D'Angelo Russell, Jaden Hardy, and Dante Exum, to the Washington Wizards in a glorified salary dump.

In return, they got Khris Middleton, Malaki Branham, Marvin Bagley III, and AJ Johnson, and some mostly underwhelming draft capital, but it's draft capital they didn't have previously. They then turned around and traded Branham to the Charlotte Hornets in a straight-up deal for Tyus Jones, who came in from the Orlando Magic just a day earlier.

With these trades in mind, here's a look at the projected updated starting lineup moving forward for the Mavs. We won't include the team potentially buying out Middleton or someone else for now.

PG: Cooper Flagg, Brandon Williams, Tyus Jones, Ryan Nembhard (two-way), Kyrie Irving (injured)
SG: Max Christie, AJ Johnson, Miles Kelly (two-way)
SF: Naji Marshall, Khris Middleton, Klay Thompson
PF: PJ Washington, Caleb Martin
C: Daniel Gafford, Marvin Bagley III, Dwight Powell, Moussa Cisse (two-way), Dereck Lively II (injured)

Jan 31, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) dribbles the ball during the fourth quarter against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

READ MORE: Kyrie Irving’s Agent Breaks Silence on Future With the Mavericks

The Mavericks' Roster is Still a Mess

The small forward position is an entire toss-up. It wouldn't be surprising to see P.J. Washington and Naji Marshall starting next to each other, Khris Middleton not playing at all, or Caleb Martin starting as he has been recently.

They also somehow have an overcrowded backcourt with no good options. Ryan Nembhard's eligibility is about to run out on his two-way contract, as is Moussa Cisse's. Jason Kidd has been playing Cooper Flagg as the point guard, which has been great for the team's development, but bad for the team's ability to win (or good for the tank, depending on how you look at it). And Tyus Jones isn't a needle-mover, not that you'd want him to be at this point in the season.

No one the Mavericks traded away was a major part of the rotation. Anthony Davis was when he was healthy, but he only played in 29 of a possible 85 regular-season games. They're used to playing without him at this point. Russell had played in just one game in 2026. Hardy would only play if there were a lot of injuries or if they were down by 30 in the third quarter and needed a spark of offense. Exum hadn't played this year, and won't with the Wizards because of a knee surgery.

If Kyrie Irving were to return, which seems unlikely this year, he would help the backcourt make some sense, and then Flagg could return to his natural position on the wing. But they seem more likely not to risk further injury to Irving this year, letting Flagg develop, and to lose games down the stretch to prioritize their first-round pick this year.

If someone is waived or bought out, I imagine Nembhard would see the first priority. He had a hot start to the season with an impressive stint in late November and early December, but has cooled off since. But with them keeping Bagley, signing Cisse isn't as big a priority when compared to the point guard rotation, which could allow Cooper Flagg to go back to the wing like he's supposed to.

READ MORE: Instant Trade Grades: Dallas Mavericks Acquire Low-Cost Point Guard at Trade Deadline

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