With Zaccharie Risacher’s arrival and a crowded wing rotation, Dallas faces a looming choice: recoup trade value for the veteran sniper or grant a buyout to Miami.
The Dallas Mavericks have already completely overhauled their roster after tabbing Masai Ujiri and Dusty May to lead the franchise into the future — but they're far from done.
After acquiring Zaccharie Risacher, Santi Aldama and Marcus Sasser through trades and selecting Morez Johnson Jr., Sergio De Larrea and Tobi Lawal in the 2026 NBA Draft, Dallas still has decisions to make regarding Klay Thompson and Daniel Gafford.
The Gafford outlook is simple ... either trade him or keep him. There isn't much else Ujiri would be able to do there.
Thompson is different, and now with Risacher in town, his Dallas exit could be accelerated.
It also may come in two very different forms.
NBA insider Marc Stein has said the Mavericks' "preference" is a trade — which logically makes sense.
Dallas invested $50 million over three years in Thompson during the 2024 offseason to pair Luka Dončić with one of the greatest shooters in league history.
The two played in just 21 games together before Dončić was dealt to the Los Angeles Lakers, eliminating the primary reason Thompson chose the Mavericks in the first place.
The four-time NBA champion has appeared in 141 games as a Maverick, averaging 12.9 points while shooting approximately 38.7% from beyond the arc. While his days as a perennial All-Star-caliber player are over, he remains a sniper from deep.
Since Thompson still holds value as a shooter, it's safe to assume Dallas would like to recoup something for the 36-year-old.
The issue with that is Thompson likely has specific destinations in mind, the Miami Heat being one of them, especially if LeBron James makes a dramatic return to the franchise he delivered two championship rings to.
And after exhausting nearly every tradeable asset it owns, the Heat don't necessarily have much of interest to offer the Mavericks.
So the only way Thompson can make his way to South Beach would be via a buyout, which doesn't benefit Dallas in any way.
Risacher’s arrival changes that calculation.
The former No. 1 overall pick needs consistent minutes to develop, and keeping Thompson would only create another obstacle in a wing rotation already featuring Cooper Flagg and Naji Marshall.
Dallas may still prefer to extract value through a trade, but Risacher gives the Mavericks a young, long-term replacement who makes Thompson increasingly expendable. If Ujiri cannot find a worthwhile return, a buyout becomes much easier to justify.
Thompson’s departure already felt possible. Risacher’s arrival makes it feel inevitable.
