The mission for the Dallas Mavericks is clear: build around Cooper Flagg in any way possible. After firing Nico Harrison and Jason Kidd, the Mavericks brought in the trio of Masai Ujiri, Mike Schmitz, and Dusty May to lead a new era of Dallas basketball.

Of course, the three of them understand that it could be a long march forward. Dallas has been linked to win-now players like Kawhi Leonard, although it's much more likely that they take on a reclamation project like Scoot Henderson, for example.

Before trade season really heats up, the Mavericks must make some key free agent choices. Khris Middleton, Dwight Powell, Brandon Williams, and Marvin Bagley III are all off the books, giving Dallas some financial flexibility.

Keep it posted to MavsRoundtable for up-to-the-minute updates on the Mavs' free agency.

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Late Wednesday evening, the Mavs saw their first outgoing free agent as Marvin Bagley III signed a one-year contract with the Denver Nuggets, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.

Bagley was solid in his 22 games played for Dallas after coming in the Anthony Davis trade from the Washington Wizards. The former No. 2 overall pick in 2018 averaged 11.0 points and 6.8 rebounds in 21.4 minutes per game.

He is likely one of several big men who will either be traded or leave the Mavericks in free agency, as new front office leadership has drafted Morez Johnson Jr. and added Santi Aldama.

Sources say the Memphis Grizzlies are trading forward Santi Aldama to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for guard AJ Johnson, a 2030 first-round pick (via Golden State), and two future second-round picks.

That is a very similar trade package the Mavs received in the deal that sent Anthony Davis to the Washington Wizards. Dallas flips it into a versatile big man in a frontcourt that will look very different next season.

This now opens up a likely trade path for Mavs center Daniel Gafford, with Aldama and first-rounder Morez Johnson Jr. forming a new interior duo next to Dereck Lively II and Cooper Flagg in Dallas.

For more on the trade, click here.

In more non-Mavericks news, the Los Angeles Lakers made several moves official on Wednesday, as the team builds around Luka Doncic now that LeBron James is headed elsewhere.

The Lakers executed a sign-and-trade for Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler, and signed former-Mav Quentin Grimes, Collin Sexton and Sandro Mamukaleshvili in an attempt to make LA a contender in Doncic's prime years coming up.

Could this spoil Dallas fans' plans of a Luka return in 2028? That'll depend on whether giving up this much upcoming draft capital will end in the Lakers competing for a championship.

Insider Marc Stein continues to believe that the Mavs will trade for Pistons guard Marcus Sasser, but even if an agreement is reported, the deal will take a second to become official by team accounts.

"Dallas’ expected trade for Detroit’s Marcus Sasser must wait until July 6," Stein says.

"The league’s annual moratorium on finalizing roster moves began at 12:01 AM ET and lasts until noon ET on July 6. Need a cap expert to back this up, but teams can only announce minimum signings from now until July 6. The overwhelming majority of deals are verbal until then."

According to insider Marc Stein, Dallas is using a $20.3 million trade exception generated by the Davis trade to acquire Aldama, who averaged 14 points and 6.7 rebounds per game last season for Memphis.

Read more on Sasser to the Mavs here, and keep it on MavsRoundtable.com for updates.

The Athletic reports that the Mavericks have some interest in trading for Cam Johnson, who is on an expiring contract and would provide Dallas with a lengthy two-way ability and elite shooting on the wing.

"Rival teams consistently point to Nuggets forward Cam Johnson, acquired last summer in a deal that sent away Michael Porter Jr., as the most likely candidate to be dealt, in large part because the 30-year-old has just one season left on his deal at $23 million," Sam Amick writes. "Miami and Dallas are believed to be among the many interested teams."

Johnson averaged 12.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.4 assists for Denver last season. He'd provide a major boost in 3-point shooting for the Mavs, as he knocked down 43 percent of his perimeter shots (two ticks below a career-high) on nearly five attempts a game.

Despite the rumors of a potential reunion between president Masai Ujiri and perennial All-Star Kawhi Leonard from their time in Toronto, the Mavs exec has chosen to hold off on what would've been a back-tracking move to Dallas' future-focused plan.

But Leonard is indeed headed back to the Raptors, where Ujiri famously gambled on one season with Kawhi north of the border ... which ended with the Raptors' hoisting their first and only championship.

The LA Clippers are nearing an agreement to trade Leonard to the Toronto Raptors for a package of Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two first-round draft picks, one pick swap and two second-round picks, according to multiple reports.

Moussa Cisse played in 38 games for the Mavericks last season, averaging 4.5 points and 5.7 rebounds. After going undrafted in 2025, the Mavericks signed Cisse to a two-way deal. 

While he is not expected to play big minutes next season (unless Daniel Gafford gets traded), he is a solid end-of-the-bench big who should step up and replace Bagley III, who is expected to sign elsewhere this summer.

As Dallas tries to embrace youth, having a 23-year-old physical center is only a good thing. It might not be the flashiest move, but it's a step in the right direction.

Coming out of Gonzaga, Ryan Nembhard was expected to be the best undrafted player last season, and he lived up to the hype. He posted 6.6 points and 5.3 assists in his rookie season, playing a key role alongside Cooper Flagg.

Between Kyrie Irving and D'Angelo Russell, Nembahrd was expected to spend most of last season in the G League. However, Irving never returned from injury, and Russell fizzled out before being traded, opening the door for Nembhard to play a bigger role.

While Dallas opted to have Flagg run point, his 0.0 points per 100 possessions while sharing the floor with Nembhard were his second-best pairing of anyone on the roster. After Dallas took Morez Johnson ninth overall, they are still without some point guard depth.

Irving is expected to make his return next season, but Nembhard is now signed to a standard contract and should be one of the first guys off the bench.