76ers Reportedly Tried to Trade For Dallas Mavericks Wing Before Deadline

The Dallas Mavericks had an eventful trade deadline in February, clearing out future salary by sending Anthony Davis, Jaden Hardy, D'Angelo Russell, and Dante Exum to the Washington Wizards for Khris Middleton, Marvin Bagley III, AJ Johnson, and Tyus Jones, as well as five future draft picks. Jones would be waived a few weeks later.

More than anything, that cleared the books of future salary, as the Mavs were threatening to be a second apron team. While they also added some draft capital, most of those selections won't be very valuable. With that trade, they didn't feel the need to trade anyone else unless they were getting something significant back.

One player who was possibly on the market was wing Naji Marshall, who had arguably the best season of his career, averaging 15.2 PPG, 4.7 RPG, and 3.3 APG. His defense hasn't been quite as good as it was near the end of his tenure with New Orleans, but his development into a steady ball handler who is automatic in the paint has been a pleasant surprise.

There was never any real smoke about the Mavericks trading him before the deadline. While his name was floated around a few times, nothing ever materialized. However, the Philadelphia 76ers apparently showed some interest in him.

The 76ers parted ways with Daryl Morey, president of basketball operations, this week. As is the case anytime an executive leaves a team, stories start flying about moves they tried to make, and one, according to Adam Aaronson of PhillyVoice, was looking to trade for Naji Marshall. No details of a trade seemed to have been discussed, and there are a few names listed that the 76ers showed interest in, and Marshall is still on the Mavericks.

Morey was heavily criticized for essentially salary-dumping Jared McCain to the OKC Thunder at the deadline, and while he did get some draft capital in return, saying he "sold high" on McCain looks like it'll come back to haunt the 76ers.

Mar 21, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Naji Marshall (13) brings the ball up court during the game between the Mavericks and the Clippers at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

What Could a Mavericks-76ers Deal for Naji Marshall Have Looked Like?

The Mavericks and 76ers made a trade at 2025's trade deadline, as Nico Harrison was swindled out of Quentin Grimes, getting Caleb Martin in return. That likely played a hand in the Mavs not showing much interest this time around, even if was a new co-interim GM setup with Matt Riccardi and Michael Finley.

In a world where further details were discussed, if we're to say these discussions took place after the Anthony Davis trade, it's hard to find a deal that makes sense for both sides. Kelly Oubre and Quentin Grimes are the only ones making close to Marshall's salary, and they likely didn't want to include a key rotation piece in a trade.

Had McCain been thrown on the table, that would've been worth considering, even without any draft capital attached, but there still would've been a salary difference to make up between McCain and Marshall.

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