DHJ Quick Take: Mavericks Emerge as Marcus Sasser Trade Suitor
Marc Stein reports Dallas has become a leading suitor to trade for Detroit guard Marcus Sasser as free agency opens.
- Who do the Mavericks want? Detroit Pistons guard Marcus Sasser, a 25-year-old career 38.6% 3-point shooter on an expiring deal.
- Why does Sasser fit? Dallas needs backcourt depth and shooting behind Kyrie Irving, and Sasser’s roughly $5.2 million salary slots into a trade exception worth more than $20 million.
- What would it cost? Reporting points to Dallas absorbing Sasser into the larger Anthony Davis exception, likely for second-round compensation, though he could also be folded into a bigger deal.
- What’s next? NBA free agency opened Tuesday evening, putting Dallas’ backcourt plans, including Brandon Williams’ future, in motion.
The Dallas Mavericks have emerged as a leading suitor to trade for Detroit Pistons guard Marcus Sasser, according to Marc Stein.
The reported interest landed hours before free agency opened Tuesday evening, with Detroit said to be making the 25-year-old available after his role shrank last season. Dallas has spent the early offseason hunting for backcourt depth and shooting, and a low-cost swing for a young guard who can space the floor lines up with that search.
Who Is Marcus Sasser?
After being taken with the 25th pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, Sasser played three seasons with Detroit. In that time, the 6-foot-1 guard averaged 7 points, 1.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. Sasser showed his chops as a shooter with the Pistons, holding a career average of 38.6% from three and 85.9% from the free-throw line.
Sasser’s minutes have dropped in each of his three seasons, even as Detroit dealt with a lack of secondary creation around Cade Cunningham. That trend could raise eyebrows among front offices, but on the floor he flashed effective shot-creation and scoring off the bench.
He isn’t a natural playmaker, and his lack of size won’t do him any favors defensively, but he competes on that end. A change of scenery could reinvigorate his career.
North Texas is familiar to Sasser, who played his high school ball at Red Oak, less than 30 minutes south of the American Airlines Center. In his fourth year at the University of Houston, he won the Jerry West Award as the nation’s top shooting guard.
Why Would Dallas Acquire Sasser?
Dallas has multiple ways to absorb the contract, including a trade exception worth more than $20 million from February’s Anthony Davis deal with the Washington Wizards, which Sasser’s salary slots into cleanly. He is owed roughly $5.2 million for the 2026-27 season and is set to become a restricted free agent the following summer.
A move for the 25-year-old could make sense for a Mavericks team with thin guard depth behind Kyrie Irving, who is working back from a torn ACL he sustained in March of 2025. Behind Irving sit incoming sophomore Ryan Nembhard, AJ Johnson and rookie Sergio De Larrea, none of whom carries much NBA experience.
Brandon Williams is the next most tenured guard on the roster, but he is bound for unrestricted free agency and is drawing interest from other teams. If Dallas’ interest in Sasser is genuine, it could signal the end of Williams’ run in Dallas.
Should Williams walk, Sasser could be a worthwhile swing for the Mavericks as a relatively young backup guard with room to grow.
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