Some looked at the Dallas Mavericks heading into the 2025-26 campaign and believed they could be a dark-horse playoff team. With a stacked frontcourt and Cooper Flagg emerging as a game-changing talent from day one—based on his preseason performance—expectations were high. However, that promising frontcourt has been significantly depleted, with Anthony Davis and Dereck Lively II currently sidelined due to injuries. Coupled with the team’s lackluster guard depth, the Mavericks have struggled early in the season, holding a disappointing 2-6 record heading into their Friday night clash against the Memphis Grizzlies.
The point guard situation, in particular, has been a huge mess. Flagg is experiencing what could be called the “Jeremy Sochan treatment,” being miscast as a point guard and primary ballhandler despite his skill set. Meanwhile, PJ Washington’s performance has been shaky; in the game where he captained the offense, he turned the ball over eight times. To fill the gap while Kyrie Irving recovers, the Mavericks brought in D’Angelo Russell as a stopgap point guard, but he has struggled to earn head coach Jason Kidd’s trust. That is, until Kidd made the surprising move of replacing the struggling Klay Thompson in the starting lineup with Russell.
Suffice it to say, the Mavericks’ point guard situation is in dire straits.
Meanwhile, Luka Doncic is dominating for the Los Angeles Lakers. The trade that sent Doncic away has become a disaster that keeps piling on for Dallas, but that chapter is in the past and can no longer be rectified. All the Mavericks can do now is focus on addressing their point guard woes, and here’s a trade proposal that could help get their season back on track.
Enter Dennis Schröder. He has been phenomenal when given minutes—locking down opposing ballhandlers, expertly navigating through screens, making timely three-pointers, and managing not to dominate offensive touches. For a team with plenty of ballhandlers, Schröder would be a seamless fit. Unfortunately, he’s currently stuck on the bench as the Sacramento Kings attempt to make their unconventional starting lineup work.
What the Mavericks truly need is a point guard who can handle the ball, attack the rim, and set up their play-finishers. Neither Russell nor Jaden Hardy fit this downhill, pressure-inducing style. The Kings have sorely missed De’Aaron Fox this season, as Malik Monk isn’t a natural point guard. While Schröder can at least perform some of Fox’s duties, Sacramento’s backcourt is jam-packed. With Russell Westbrook seizing the reins, plus ball-dominant players like DeMar DeRozan, Domantas Sabonis, Zach LaVine, and Monk—all requiring significant touches—it’s odd that Schröder has become the odd man out.
Given the circumstances, Schröder is an ideal fit for the Mavericks as currently constructed. He can exploit the lob threats posed by Dallas’ big men, ease the playmaking burden on Flagg—allowing him to wreak havoc as a multi-positional wing—and restore much-needed balance to the roster.
However, Dallas doesn’t have much to offer Sacramento in return. One might assume the Kings would want PJ Washington in any Schröder trade scenario, but the Mavericks prefer to keep Washington, who is a versatile combo forward and their best defensive stopper against elite perimeter scorers. Trading Washington for Schröder would likely result in little to no net gain.
Instead, the Mavericks could trade Naji Marshall and Caleb Martin, along with two second-round picks, to bring Schröder to Dallas. The Kings need more size and versatility on the wings, and both Marshall and Martin fit that mold. They are lower-usage wing players who align with Sacramento’s roster needs for traditionally sized wings.
While Martin has been abysmal this season for Dallas and Marshall less reliable than last year, this trade would allow the Kings to address some roster construction challenges by leveraging a position of strength in their backcourt.
Ultimately, this proposed deal has the potential to benefit both teams: the Mavericks shore up their point guard dilemma, and the Kings add much-needed wing depth and versatility. For Dallas, addressing their point guard position may be the key to turning their season around.
https://clutchpoints.com/nba/dallas-mavericks/1-overreaction-trade-mavericks-must-target-amid-sluggish-start