The Dallas Mavericks have aggressively reshaped their roster during the 2026 NBA offseason, executing a series of trades and signings. This activity comes after the team finished the 2025-26 campaign with a high-scoring 149-128 victory over the Chicago Bulls on April 13. Their recent form over the last five games was two wins and three losses, a sequence of WLLLW.
The front office was active across multiple transaction types. In free agency, they matched a New York Knicks offer sheet for center Moussa Cisse on a two-year, minimum salary deal. Their draft night was defined by trades, moving up to select forward Sergio de Larrea at No. 25 and acquiring the rights to Vsevolod Ishchenko at No. 56.
More significant moves came via multi-team trades. Dallas landed forward Santi Aldama, the rights to Tarik Biberovic, and guard Marcus Sasser in a six-team deal that sent veteran Khris Middleton to the Washington Wizards. In a separate three-team trade, they acquired forward Zaccharie Risacher and a future second-round pick from the Atlanta Hawks.
Their own first-round pick, Morez Johnson Jr. Second-round pick Tobi Lawal inked a two-way deal, joining Jett Howard who also signed a two-way contract.
This offseason represents a clear pivot towards youth and financial flexibility. Trading established players like Khris Middleton and buying out Klay Thompson's contract signals a new direction. Adding young talents like Johnson, Risacher, and Aldama provides a fresh core to build around star Luka Doncic.
The financial picture is now clearer. The team is operating over the salary cap but remains below the first tax apron by about $19.3 million. They still have a partial non-taxpayer mid-level exception worth $12 million available for further moves.
Several familiar faces departed. Marvin Bagley III joined the Denver Nuggets, Dwight Powell remains unsigned, and Brandon Williams moved to the Golden State Warriors. The roster turnover is substantial.
With training camp approaching, integrating the new pieces is the immediate task. Head coach Jason Kidd must find chemistry among a group that includes rookies, recent acquisitions, and established stars. The team's performance down the stretch last season was inconsistent, including a 139-120 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on April 11.
Fans can track the progress of the new-look squad on our [squad](/squad) page. The available salary exceptions mean President of Basketball Operations Nico Harrison might not be done tweaking the edges of the roster. The goal will be to improve upon last season's finish and make a stronger push in the Western Conference.
The departure of veterans places more responsibility on Doncic and the returning core. How quickly the young players adapt to the NBA pace will be key. Preseason games will offer the first glimpse of this remodeled Dallas Mavericks team in action.
