MAVS continue making moves to improve

By Josh Ortega

The Dallas Mavericks continue to be active in building a contending roster for the 2026/2027 season. Last week, the Mavs added former 2024 first overall pick Zaccharie Risacher (pictured) as part of a three-team trade with the Atlanta Hawks and Oklahoma City Thunder to acquire the 21-year-old small forward and bring him to North Texas. 

The former 2024/2025 rookie of the year runner up will make $13.8 million this upcoming year, with a team option going into the final season of his rookie year. The Mavs will have to decide in October to pick up said team option. 

Since being hired in May, Dallas Mavericks General Manager Masai Ujiri has been incredibly active shaping and adding to a Mav’s roster looking to make a leap in the franchise’s second season with former 2025 first overall pick and reigning rookie of the year Cooper Flagg and first-year Head Coach Dusty Mays. Dallas can continue to make moves to free up some cap space and regain some late-round picks throughout the rest of the offseason. With Risacher now in the mix, the 6-foot, 8-inch France native gets a clean slate in a new organization. 

Before being selected first overall in 2024 by Atlanta, Risacher began getting regular minutes for French side LDLC ASVEL as early as 17. He really began getting regular minutes in his second season with ASVEL, averaging between 12 and 13 minutes a night off the bench before transferring to fellow French side Mincidelice JL Bourg at the end of his second season as a pro. During what would be his final season in France, Risacher’s points per game jumped from the low single digits to between 10 and 13 points per game in both the Euro Cup and league play. His shooting stats averaged out to 43 percent from the field and 35 percent from three-point range in league play. In the Euro Cup, Risacher was shooting 56 percent from both the field and three-point range in the club’s second-place finish in the premier European club tournament. It was his knockdown shooting ability that began to turn heads in the pre-draft process after declaring for the 2024 NBA Draft. 

The 2024 draft was one of the trickiest in terms of evaluations. Unlike in previous years, there was a clear toss-up in talent of the overall draft class, but also who would be selected first overall. Ultimately, when the Hawks selected Risacher first overall, the consensus among draft analysts was that he fit the mold of a project player who would need some development in both his physical game and certain aspects of his game. 

During his first season in the NBA, Risacher put up 12.6 points per game on 46 percent shooting from the field and 35 percent shooting from beyond the arc while playing in 75 games for the Hawks. 

Although Atlanta finished eighth in the Eastern Conference and just below .500 with a record of 40-42, Risacher was the fifth-best volume finisher on the roster from the field and three-point range while being the only rookie to finish in double figures with his shooting stats. After a decent start to his NBA career helped by a strong second half of his season, Risacher would be named to the All-Rookie first team after leading all rookies in field goal percentage and being second in total points among all of the rookies from his draft class. 

He finished second in rookie of the year voting behind Spurs guard Stephon Castle. 

Heading into his second season with the Hawks, there was hope that after a strong rookie season where he established himself as a solid shooter, Risacher could make a big leap heading into his sophomore season in the NBA. However, Risacher’s second year met with more challenges than his rookie campaign. 

After multiple decent performances through the Hawks’ first 25 games of the season — including a stretch in the mid-to-early part of November in which he finished in double figures in seven straight games — in early February, Atlanta Head Coach Quin Snyder made a change to the starting five, which saw Risacher come off the bench with his minutes fluctuating as the season went on.

Nonetheless, with a decent-sized salary hit and an expiring contract for the next two seasons, Risacher finds himself in Dallas, where a change of scenery could really help balance out his young NBA career. 

The Mavericks have banked on one big thing this offseason in the players they have brought into the roster: length and athleticism. Risacher fits the mold with his size and length, but he has also continually put on more muscle since his rookie year to be more physical on defense. 

While on offense, the move indicates that Ujiri and the front office hope that Risacher can fit into a strong three-and-deep role, whether it’s in the starting five or off the bench with his specialty in shooting from the field in a low pressure off the ball role. Combine that with taking the first overall pick label off, this move may pan out into seeing Risacher’s play as he did as a rookie. 

With elements of growth in his ball handling, physicality and playmaking, the former first overall pick could be a valuable asset for Dallas throughout the long season.

Dallas is still awaiting to find out who they will open up the season against next season. However, the Mavericks continue to make moves that will look to rebound from a tough 2025 season. Now, with the trade for Risacher, he can grow and return beyond the play-in in his rookie year.