Sergio De Larrea may already be the answer to the Mavericks’ backcourt hole

One of the biggest questions going into this offseason was how the Dallas Mavericks would address their glaring backup point guard issue. With Kyrie Irving out for the season last year, point guard duties rotated amongst several players, nearly all of whom are now gone. While Irving looks to be returning good as new, the concern shifts to who will step in to relieve him or, in the event of another injury, replace him.

Offseason moves could fix last year's backcourt issues

The Mavericks acquired two new point guards this offseason: Marcus Sasser, who could come in as the primary backup point guard if he has a strong training camp and preseason, and Sergio De Larrea, who has tremendous upside if he achieves his full potential. If De Larrea progresses this season, he could be the floor general the Mavericks need to run the offense when Irving and Cooper Flagg aren't on the court.

He could even be the solution to the Mavericks' backup point guard hole.

Sergio De Larrea, the 25th pick, was acquired as part of a four-team draft-day trade with the Lakers, Knicks, and Suns. The young, promising point guard won the 2026 Liga ACB Best Young Player award while playing for Valencia, an honor Luka Dončić earned twice with Real Madrid.

While point guard was a concern this offseason, when it came time to make their first pick in the draft, Dallas selected Morez Johnson Jr. at No. 9. The All-Big 10, NCAA champion power forward hailing from the same school as their new head coach was an obvious choice, but that meant they'd need to pick up a point guard late in the draft. Luckily, they saw an opportunity and traded up for one with loads of potential in De Larrea.

De Larrea and Johnson could both play a role for years to come for the team the Mavericks are building around Flagg, and the youth investment could certainly pay off.

The Mavericks might already believe De Larrea is ready

Kyrie Irving and Daniel Gafford have been in trade rumors this summer, as well as P.J. Washington. While fans have pushed for a smaller trade to bring in a solid backup for Irving, there haven't been any reports indicating this is a focus for them. At this stage, it's unclear what direction the Mavericks might go in, but as the season approaches, it seems less and less likely they'll make any more roster moves this offseason.

Perhaps the Mavericks are waiting until the deadline to maximize their return, or they believe they already have the team they want to move forward with. Maybe they've seen something from De Larrea early, and they trust him as the second-string point guard behind Irving.

De Larrea showed flashes in the Summer League

During Summer League, De Larrea showed off a lethal passing game, averaging 8.8 assists per game, the most of anyone this year. He also had 14 assists against the Oklahoma City Thunder, tied for the third-most assists in any Summer League game ever.

Unfortunately, his shooting was quite disappointing, as he shot just 27.3 percent over four games. He has shown some improvement so far in limited minutes with the Spanish National Team, shooting 3-for-3 from three in a loss to Greece.

Whether in the NBA Summer League or FIBA World Cup qualifiers, Sergio De Larrea has shown flashes, but it's unclear if he's ready just yet. He has the tools to be one of the best playmakers off the bench in the league, but he'll have to maximize his chances early on in order to prove he's ready.

If De Larrea taps into his potential, the Mavericks don't need to trade for a point guard to fill the hole behind Irving. He's already on the roster.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow