Mavericks' Zaccharie Risacher trade creates a glaring hole they must fill

The Dallas Mavericks acquired former No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher in a three-team trade with the Atlanta Hawks and Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday. Dallas only had to give up Ryan Nembhard and a second-round pick to land the No. 1 pick from the 2024 NBA Draft, but it leaves a hole in their backcourt that they must fill before the start of the 2026-27 season.

The Mavericks already needed more depth behind Kyrie Irving before trading Nembhard, and this trade makes their backup point guard spot look even more questionable now. Nembhard played in 60 games as a rookie and started 27, and losing him is a bigger blow than many fans realize.

It’s now down to Sergio De Larrea and Marcus Sasser to run the offense with Nembhard out of the picture, and they’ll likely have to make a move for another guard sooner rather than later.

The Mavericks' backcourt struggled last season

Last season, Dallas' backup point guard spot was one of their biggest weaknesses. Nembhard, Brandon Williams, and D'Angelo Russell ran the show, and this was not enough depth for them to be a competitive team.

Both Nembhard and Williams had great moments, including a 23-assist game for Nembhard and Williams averaging a career-high 13.0 points per game, but neither player looks like they're returning. They just traded Nembhard in this deal for Risacher, and Williams remains a free agent.

The Mavericks dropped 56 games last season, and while Irving's return will certainly help them improve, they still need reliable guard play while he is on the sidelines.

De Larrea and Sasser are a questionable backup point guard duo

De Larrea proved that he has the chops to play point guard during NBA Summer League, but is he ready to be the team’s backup point guard behind Irving as a rookie? That’s a question that could determine how Dallas’ offense looks when Irving is off the court, and it looks like he’ll have a real role in his first season.

Sasser will also need to hold his own after playing a career-low 12.0 minutes per game last season for the Detroit Pistons. The Mavericks are putting a lot of faith in two players who are relatively unproven to run the offense when Irving is off the court, and this trade puts even more pressure on Irving's shoulders to remain healthy.

Irving hasn’t played in an NBA game since he tore his ACL in March of 2025, and if he gets injured again, Dallas’ backcourt is going to look extremely suspect. De Larrea and Sasser don’t bring enough to comfortably replace Irving’s production, and the hole in their backup point guard spot is looking even bigger without Nembhard.

The Mavericks have to make another move before next season to bolster their backcourt, and they can use free agency or the trade market to do so. Dallas has 16 players on standard contracts following the Moussa Cisse signing yesterday, meaning a trade to create a roster spot is likely already on the way, but they need to be thinking about bringing in another guard.

Heading into next season with De Larrea and Sasser as the only backup options behind Irving is a major risk, and this trade for Risacher presents Dallas with a new problem they must address.

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