Mavericks' dream trade to fix their playmaking problem is staring them in the face

Even after signing D'Angelo Russell earlier this week, the Dallas Mavericks still need more playmaking ahead of the 2025-26 season. With Kyrie Irving set to miss at least the first half of the year, Dante Exum and Russell are going to be forced to shoulder a major ball-handling burden (along with Cooper Flagg), and while Russell was an outstanding pickup on an excellent contract, Dallas should consider exploring the trade market ahead of next season to add one more high-level ball handler.

With the Indiana Pacers unexpectedly losing Myles Turner to the Milwaukee Bucks, they could end up being the perfect trade partner for the Mavs as they need center help badly while the Mavs have a surplus of frontcourt depth. It's clear you need multiple elite guards to succeed in the playoffs, and the Pacers could help the Mavericks achieve that reality by sending them Andrew Nembhard.

A trade that makes sense for both sides would be sending Daniel Gafford to the Pacers for Nembhard, and while Indiana highly values Nembhard and the contract he's on, they could be desperate enough at center to make something work and send their highly-coveted guard to Dallas to join Cooper Flagg, Kyrie Irving, and Anthony Davis.

Mavericks can fix their playmaking problem with one blockbuster trade

Last season for Dallas, Gafford averaged 12.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game while shooting a whopping 70.2 percent from the field. Gafford made a huge jump in his development last year for Dallas, as his touch around the rim was much improved and his paint defense was stellar, but trade rumors ultimately surfaced in the middle of the season when he was having a struggle-filled stretch.

Gafford ended up bouncing back after these trade rumors emerged, as he had one of his best stretches of the season at the end of January before spraining his MCL, and these trade rumors could return this offseason if the Mavs want to upgrade their guard room.

While Dallas prefers to keep Gafford this summer, you have to give up value to gain value in any trade, and finding a way to land Nembhard would be more than worth it.

Last season for Indiana, Nembhard averaged 10.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 45.8 percent from the field and 29.1 percent from downtown. Nembhard stepped up his game in the playoffs, as he averaged 12.5 points per game while shooting 46.5 percent from downtown and being a dream complement to Tyrese Haliburton in the backcourt.

His ability to play alongside Haliburton is what should have Mavericks fans most intrigued, as he can play lockdown defense on one end while being an off or on-ball threat on the other end. He can run the show when needed, as his ball handling, decision-making, and passing out of the pick and roll are all excellent, and the Mavs could start him alongside Russell or Klay Thompson in the backcourt to begin the season.

Nembhard's play on defense is what should have Mavs fans the most excited, as he is one of the most underrated guard defenders in the league, and they clearly need more point-of-attack defense to begin the year.

Having Russell, Nembhard, and Irving in the backcourt to begin the playoffs would be huge for Dallas, as teams must have multiple creators to truly succeed in the playoffs. Along with the undeniable potential on-court fit for Nembhard in Dallas, it would also be an excellent personal fit since the Mavs just signed his brother, Ryan Nembhard to a two-way deal.

Andrew would be a great example for Ryan as he begins his NBA career, and they'd have the chance to compete for a title together right away.

It seems unlikely that the Pacers would even consider trading Andrew, as they are already without Haliburton heading into next season, but as the NBA offseason always shows us, anything can happen. Indiana would be landing an excellent lob-catching and shot-blocking big in Gafford while the Mavs would be adding a two-way guard that Nico Harrison would absolutely love in Andrew Nembhard, and no matter how improbable it seems right now, both sides could end up being convinced to make such a move depending on the assets that were attached on either side.