Mavericks' avalanche of offseason moves should erase last season's massive issue

While the Dallas Mavericks haven't made a splash in free agency yet, they've made many moves elsewhere that will significantly help improve one of their biggest issues from last season. They acquired four players during the 2026 NBA Draft and traded for three more on the trade market in the following weeks. The offseason may seem stagnant for Mavs fans right now, but they've been busy adding young talent with one clear strength: 3-point shooting.

Dallas was one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the NBA during Cooper Flagg's rookie year, and this held their offense back significantly.

Max Christie and Marvin Bagley III were the only two players on the 15-man roster who shot above 40 percent from three, and they needed to surround Flagg with more shooting to make this offseason a success. Masai Ujiri made it clear that he wanted to bring in more shooters around Flagg during his introductory press conference, and their moves in the trade market and the draft have the chance to turn this weakness into a strength.

The draft brings Dallas three solid shooters

The Mavericks kicked off the offseason by drafting Morez Johnson Jr. and Sergio De Larrea in the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft. De Larrea shot over 40 percent from three on 3.3 attempts per game last season for Valencia, and Johnson Jr. shot 34.3 percent from long range as a sophomore at Michigan. This comes after not shooting a single 3-pointer during his freshman year at Illinois, and there's a strong reason to believe that his jumper will translate to the next level.

Johnson Jr.'s release is fluid, and we saw how strong a shooter he can be at the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago. He has real upside to be a floor spacer if he continues to increase his volume, and Mavs fans should be excited about his potential as a shooter.

In the second round of the draft, Dallas added another knockdown shooter. In a trade with the Los Angeles Lakers, they acquired the draft rights to Vsevolod Ishchenko, the No. 56 overall pick. The 6-foot-8 wing shot over 46.3 percent from three while playing for Lokomotiv Kuban in Russia last season, and he has a knack for drilling tough shots off the dribble or catch.

Ishchenko has a chance to earn a roster spot in Dallas if he has a solid Summer League beginning later this week, but the moves for sharpshooters don't stop there.

Both of the Mavericks' trades were for strong 3-point shooters

The Mavericks traded for Santi Aldama, and the 7-foot forward shot 35 percent from three on 5.0 attempts per game for the Memphis Grizzlies last season. He moves extremely well for a player his size, and Dallas finally added a player who can play center and make open shots. They've needed a floor-spacing five for a long time.

Another trade they made for a shooter was with the Detroit Pistons for Marcus Sasser. Like the Aldama trade, this trade still hasn't been finalized, but Sasser will give the Mavs' backcourt much more shooting. He is an excellent scorer, and he shot 41.5 percent from three on 2.8 attempts per game last season. Dallas needed more scoring off the bench, and Sasser brings this and more.

Santi Aldama isn't even the best shooter from the Grizzlies trade

While this move hasn't been finalized yet, one of the Mavericks' sneakiest moves of the summer could give them one of Europe's best shooters. Dallas acquired the draft rights to Tarik Biberovic in the Aldama trade, and with the way things are looking, it seems like the Mavericks are going to sign him to a contract after he's spent his entire career thus far in Europe (outside of playing Summer League one summer).

The 6-foot-6 wing shot 48.9 percent from three on 5.2 attempts per game for Fenerbahce last season, and 3-point shooting is his specialty. Shooting this high of a volume and still draining nearly 50 percent of his attempts is extremely impressive, and he will immediately become one of Dallas' best sharpshooters once they iron out a deal.

The potential Biberovic signing has the chance to turn into one of the Mavs' most slept-on moves of the offseason, and him developing into a rotation player will turn the Aldama trade into a landslide in Dallas' favor.

The Mavericks put themselves in an excellent spot to get back on track beyond the 3-point line with each of these additions, and their days of being a bottom-tier shooting team are hopefully a thing of the past.

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