Dallas Mavericks Exercising $17.4 Million Zaccharie Risacher Team Option

The deadline for teams across the league to exercise rookie scale options for players in the 2024 draft class is Nov. 2. This includes Mavericks forward Zaccharie Risacher, whose fourth-year option was picked up by Dallas for the 2027-28 season.

This guarantees Risacher a fourth year on his contract and keeps him a Maverick through the summer of 2028, unless of course he is traded.

In other words, Risacher has a guaranteed $17.4 million coming his way. … a considerable payday, no doubt.

Dallas now has another option going forward: Giving Risacher a contract extension next summer.

If they don't, he has options: Enter restricted free agency or agree to a qualifying offer, making him an unrestricted free agent in 2028.

Risacher, the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NBA draft, was traded to the Mavs on July 13 in a three-team deal: Oklahoma City sent Luguentz Dort to Atlanta in exchange for second-round picks, and Dallas sent Ryan Nembhard to Atlanta in return for Risacher.

For Dallas, this was considered a low-risk, high-reward scenario. Ryan Nembhard wasn't considered part of the equation going forward, and Risacher was struggling to live up to his title as the first overall pick in his two seasons in Atlanta.

In two seasons with the Hawks, Risacher averaged 11.1 points, 1.2 assists, and 3.8 rebounds per game. Although the 24 class wasn't considered as strong as others from recent years, these stats were considered disappointing for someone taken with the first selection.

Now being traded to Dallas with the chance to play in a new system being implemented by a new head coach, with a team looking for younger talent, things have looked promising.

He entered Wednesday as second in the league in combined steals and blocks, and has been one of the more versatile and consistent defenders on the floor for Dusty May's squad. If you haven't learned by now, to play for May, you need to be able to impact the game in multiple ways.

“Zacch is finding himself now; he’s still so young. We really, really value and appreciate those plays,” May said. “However many missed shots he had, he had twice as many loose balls, blocks, steals, and rebounds, and the ones that don’t show up are where he just gets a hand on it.

While he has struggled shooting the basketball so far this season with a 31% FG, Risacher is willing to do the dirty work to put his team in a better position to succeed.

"There’s no stat for that, but those are valued in our program and within our team.”