What the Mavericks Actually Need at the Trade Deadline

The NBA's trade deadline is now officially less than a week away, and there's been a weirdly quiet amount of trades. In fact, the NBA has only seen one all season, and that was the Atlanta Hawks dumping Trae Young to the Washington Wizards for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert.

The Dallas Mavericks are expected to be one of the NBA's more active teams as they seem to realize they need to focus on building around Cooper Flagg, but they don't really have the assets to do it. They have a veteran-laden roster that doesn't fit together after last year's disastrous Luka Doncic trade. So, with the trade deadline six days away, here's what they need, and what they don't.

What Do the Mavericks Need at the Trade Deadline?

The Mavericks, more than anything, need to prioritize expiring contracts and draft capital. They are the NBA's fourth-most-expensive roster, which is not where you want to be sitting 10 games below .500 after 48 games. And they have 12 players under contract next year, while projecting to be just a few million below the second apron. Adding a lottery pick and any other salary to that will have them over the second apron, and even if Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving were to both somehow play 60 games next year, I'm not convinced they'd be that good a team.

They do have a few valuable veterans who could fetch them both draft capital and salary relief in Naji Marshall and Daniel Gafford, but they would love to move off the Anthony Davis contract. He's not worth $58 million, which is what he'd make next year at this point in his career, given the state of the Mavs.

If there is a skill set they chase, it needs to be three-point shooting. Max Christie has been one of the league's best shooters, and Klay Thompson has rebounded from a tough stretch to start the season to be the Hall-of-Fame shooter we know him to be. Outside of those two, it has been ROUGH. With a budding superstar like Cooper Flagg, who is still discovering his three-point shot, they need more shooting.

Jan 24, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Daniel Gafford (21) warms up before the game between the Mavericks and the Lakers at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

What Do the Mavericks NOT Need at the Trade Deadline?

The Mavericks do not need to stand pat or be buyers. Their 2026 first-round pick is the last one they have control over until 2031, so doing what they can to make that a great pick has to be the biggest priority. Trading away that pick, adding future salary, or doing nothing would only make things that much harder for them this offseason.

You could also argue they don't need another 3/4. Between Cooper Flagg, P.J. Washington, Naji Marshall, Caleb Martin, and Klay Thompson, they have enough players who can fill the wing. Ideally, they could trade a guy like Martin, but that seems unlikely, given his contract.

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