Sports

Three Mavericks who may find themselves off the roster on opening night

Sport DFW · Jul 21, 2026 14:00 · 3 min read

Three Mavericks who may find themselves off the roster on opening night — Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson (31) | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Dallas Mavericks have seen some new faces, but president Masai Ujiri is not done saying goodbyes this summer.

The Dallas Mavericks have been busy this summer. The new front office has made an effort to revamp the roster after a disappointing season.

The blockbuster moves some fans were hoping for never materialized, but there will still be plenty of new faces next season. Even though the valuable veterans have largely stayed in Dallas so far, that may not last for much longer.

The offseason moves so far have created an imbalanced roster, which should augur more departures between now and the start of the season. Here are three players who may find themselves off the roster on opening night.

1. Klay Thompson

NBA insider Marc Stein appeared on the All-City DLLS podcast and said that the Mavs would rather trade Klay Thompson than buy him out. Unfortunately, this may be easier said than done given the veteran sharpshooter's $17.4 million salary for next season. It's difficult to imagine any team willing to give up assets for Thompson, and he makes too much for a team to take him on without giving up anything of value.

So, a buyout may be more likely. The question is whether it happens before the season or closer to the trade deadline.

Thompson could still help a team, including the Mavs. It's just that his skill set would be better utilized on a playoff team in need of more shooting. Given that he has only one year left on his deal, there is no reason for the Mavs to keep him around until he becomes a free agent.

2. Daniel Gafford

In the same guest appearance, Stein also reported that the Mavs are fielding trade offers for Gafford. This isn't particularly surprising, especially now that they matched the offer sheet on Moussa Cisse.

On a team with Cisse, Dereck Lively, Santi Aldama, and Morez Johnson Jr., Gafford is an expensive luxury to have. He is under contract for three more seasons for $54 million. Given where the Mavs are as a franchise, they have little need to keep 27-year-old Gafford on that contract, especially since they can get positive assets for him in a trade.

There are plenty of center-needy teams around the league, like the Pelicans, Clippers, Jazz, and Nets. One has to assume that one of these teams would be willing to give up future assets to acquire Gafford.

3. P.J. Washington

The Mavericks' frontcourt is more crowded than ever. After the arrival of Zaccharie Risacher, Dallas has an embarrassment of riches in their forward rotation. Because Aldama and Johnson Jr. are going to play minutes at the power forward position, and Caleb Martin and Naji Marshall are still on the roster, there aren't too many minutes to go around next to Cooper Flagg.

Trading Washington would help thin out this crowd and open up playing time for everybody.

Sure, the Mavs could trade Marshall or Martin to achieve this objective as well, but neither player has the trade value Washington has. The veteran combo forward is a proven playoff contributor and can help other teams around the league.

Two-way forwards who can do a little bit of everything are rare, so one has to assume that Dallas would get strong offers that include a first-round pick for Washington.

If that's the case, the Mavs have to entertain these offers to set themselves up better for the future.