Dec 15, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson (31) celebrates with forward Olivier-Maxence Prosper (8) after defeating the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Mavericks gauging trade interest of recent first-round pick

Originally posted on Dallas Mavericks on SI
By Austin Veazey | Last updated Jun 30, 2025 6:00 AM ET

NBA free agency opens at 5 p.m. CST later on Monday, and the Dallas Mavericks currently only hold one open roster spot. They're widely expected to sign D'Angelo Russell to a two-year, $12 million deal using their taxpayer midlevel exception to help fill in for Kyrie Irving as he recovers from ACL surgery, per NBA insider Marc Stein.

But the Mavericks may need more point guard insurance than that. The only other guards on the roster currently are Jaden Hardy and Brandon Williams, and while Williams is a nice player, Dallas may not believe he can run the show for 15-20 minutes per game on a contending team yet.

In that same report by Stein that the Mavericks would like to bring back Dante Exum, one of their few free agents. When healthy, Exum has been really solid for the Mavs after discovering a three-point shot while overseas to pair with his perimeter defense and ball-handling. However, they'd need to open a roster spot via trade in order to bring Exum back.

Stein has reported that the Mavericks are exploring the trade interest around the NBA for Olivier-Maxence Prosper, who they just grabbed in the first round of the 2023 NBA Draft. They took on the salary of Richaun Holmes to be able to acquire the pick that landed Prosper, a 6'8" wing with a high motor that projects to be a 3&D player.

Prosper hasn't seen consistent playing time in his two seasons with the Mavs, averaging just 10 MPG in his 92 appearances, averaging 3.5 PPG. It's not sure what his trade value could be, but it shouldn't be too hard for a team to buy in on a young wing who still has a lot of potential. And he surely has more value than Jaden Hardy or Caleb Martin, who would be most fans' choices to move first.

This article first appeared on Dallas Mavericks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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