Mavericks could be forced to make an uncomfortable trade within their young core

The Dallas Mavericks made a low-risk upside play when they traded for Zaccharie Risacher this summer, but this trade introduces competition for Dallas' starting shooting guard spot between Risacher and Max Christie, which could lead to Dallas having to trade one of these players later this season.

This would be an uncomfortable decision for the Mavericks to make based on the fact that both of these players are still young and likely haven't reached their full potential yet, but it may be ultimately necessary to maximize Dallas' roster around Cooper Flagg.

Dallas may have to trade either Risacher or Christie down the line

With Risacher being 6-foot-8, there's always the possibility he could play more at small or power forward, which would allow Dallas to play both him and Christie together at the same time. However, Risacher is relatively thin compared to other wings with his height and hasn't shown the prowess to be able to consistently defend bigger-bodied wings at the NBA level.

He profiles more as a shooting guard at this point in his career, which is the same position Christie started at 68 games for the Mavericks last season. If the Mavericks weren't so crowded at the forward spot, perhaps there wouldn't be as big of a debate in terms of who should start between these two youngsters, as it would be a lot easier to justify playing both of them together.

However, due to Dallas' huge influx of small and power forwards, it's more likely than not that Risacher's best path to minutes will be at shooting guard, which could prompt the Mavericks to have to part ways with one of these two players sooner than they'd like.

With the season and training camp not having started yet, it's impossible to say who's in the driving seat to be Dallas' starting shooting guard this season, but Christie probably has the upper hand at this juncture due to a couple of reasons.

Christie probably has the upper hand entering the season

Christie shot 40.4 percent from downtown on a career-high 5.8 attempts from outside for Dallas last season, as he's a far better shooter than Risacher at this point in their respective career. And while Christie isn't an elite point-of-attack defender, he's certainly above average in that department, and profiles as Dallas' best perimeter defender on the roster outside of Caleb Martin.

Risacher probably has a higher ceiling than Christie given his frame, but based on last season, Christie was by far the better player on both sides of the ball, and is more familiar playing with the likes of Flagg and others on Dallas' roster.

There's a world where Christie and Risacher could work long-term

With that being said, there's certainly a world in which Dallas ends the Risacher experiment rather quickly if he isn't panning out and doesn't challenge Christie for the starting spot whatsoever, but the inverse could be true as well if Risacher comes in strong and proves he's the better player than Christie.

The most idealistic scenario for the Mavericks would be for both players to have strong seasons, though, and for one of them to be Dallas' sixth man even if both of them can't start together. It's not always an easy ask for younger players to buy into coming off the bench, though, especially in the case of Risacher, as he was the No. 1 overall pick just two seasons ago.

The question of who fits more into Dallas' long-term plans between the 23-year-old Christie and the 21-year-old Risacher will be an intriguing storyline to follow as the season goes along, but it would be best for Dallas' sake if the competition is close between the two youngsters, as it would be unfortunate to have to part ways with one of them so quickly.

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