2 players Mavericks must trade with Kyrie Irving set to return to help Cooper Flagg

While Klay Thompson is one player who has been in Mavericks’ trade rumors, it would actually make a lot of sense to keep him for another season. The all-time great 3-point shooter has regressed since moving to Dallas, especially when it comes to his deep ball production. He is only under contract for one more year.

Dallas should still hold out hope that he rediscovers his elite shooting stroke. After all, jump shooting isn’t something that normally disappears with age. If Thompson continues to struggle, the Mavericks can simply let him walk after the end of next season. Instead, Dereck Lively is the player Dallas should consider moving. Lively is also under contract for just one more year, but he will likely require a big payday when he hits restricted free agency.

That comes despite the fact that Lively is just Daniel Gafford’s backup. The center has been incredibly injury-prone throughout his career, only playing in 98 of a possible 246 games over his three-year career. Plus, Lively’s alley-oop ability and play-finishing skill set might have been best at use when a lob thrower like Doncic was still on the roster.

Lively was only active for seven games this past season. If the Mavericks expect to take a big step forward next season, they will either need someone more reliable or feel confident that Lively gets and stays healthy. The former option seems more realistic as of now. While Lively is viewed as a key piece of Dallas’ core, it isn’t like he has put up incredible numbers, either. The center has only averaged 8.4 points per game over his career. Lively is young and talented, so he could net a decent trade return.

AJ Johnson will be expendable

AJ Johnson was a first-round pick in 2024, but he has already played for three different teams. Irving’s return means there won’t be many available minutes at the point guard position, and therefore, Johnson may just end up on his fourth team. Not only are the Mavericks excited to get Irving back, but Ryan Nembhard showed off some impressive playmaking knack last season.

Johnson doesn’t seem to have much trade value right now, but the Milwaukee Bucks clearly saw something in him when they took him 23rd overall just two years ago. He averaged a respectable 9.1 points per game after the Bucks traded him to the Wizards last season.

The Mavericks should float Johnson’s name around, and if there isn’t much of a market, there is no harm in keeping him as Irving injury insurance. If anybody is willing to give anything of value for Johnson, though, the Mavericks need to pounce on a trade.