Dallas

Mavericks

Not long after the Mavericks waived forward Tyler Smith, opening up a two-way contract slot, the franchise filled the vacancy by signing Howard. The 11th overall pick in the 2023 draft, Howard failed to earn consistent rotation minutes in his three seasons with the Magic. He appeared in 55 games last season, averaging 5.5 points and 1.6 rebounds in 12.6 minutes. Howard shot the ball reasonably well from beyond the arc, making 37.2 percent of his attempts. He joins John Poulakidis and Tobi Lawal as two-way contract players on the Mavericks roster.

The former No. 1 overall pick wasn’t able to figure things out in Atlanta, but he’ll get a fresh start in Dallas. With Masai Ujiri and Mike Schmitz running the show for the Mavs, they have rebuilt this roster around Cooper Flagg by adding multiple new players in the frontcourt, including Risacher, Santi Aldama and Morez Johnson. Risacher’s role will likely be limited off the bench to start his tenure with Dallas, though a fresh start on a rebuilding team could yield him the opportunity to develop into the player the Hawks hoped he would become. The three second-round picks heading to OKC are Chicago’s 2027 pick from Dallas and most favorable picks in 2031 and 2032 from Atlanta.

With the Knicks and Cissé agreeing to an offer sheet on Saturday afternoon, the Mavericks had until Monday to decide whether they would match it. Dallas didn’t even wait until the end of Saturday to match the offer, which gets the 6-foot-11 center a two-year guaranteed contract. Cissé had his moments as a rookie, most notably grabbing 20 rebounds in the Mavericks’ season finale. The Mavericks have solid depth at center, but holding onto Cissé gives them a needed insurance policy after Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II struggled with injuries last season.

Cissé, who spent his rookie season on a two-way deal with the Mavericks after going undrafted, is a restricted free agent. As a result, the Mavericks have the right to match the offer sheet, which will be worth just under $2.2 million next season and just under $2.6 million in 2027-28. While the Knicks did sign Andre Drummond earlier in free agency, there is still a need for a third big, and Cissé offers youth and a far more athletic profile if the reigning champions can sign him.

Cisse is a restricted free agent, so he’s not on the Knicks officially just yet. The 23-year-old center agreed to a two-year offer sheet with New York. His salary would only be guaranteed for the first year, according to Charania. Cisse had a minimal role last year with the Mavericks. Dallas has 48 hours to match the offer sheet or they’ll lose Cisse to the Knicks.

Due to injuries, Poulakidis appeared in 13 NBA games for the Mavericks as a rookie. He surpassed 20 points in two of his final three games, including a 28-point effort against the Bulls in the regular-season finale, so the Mavericks are well aware of what the former Yale standout is capable of. Against the Thunder, Poulakidis shot 5-of-12 from beyond the arc, leading six Mavericks in double figures with 19 points. Given his status as a two-way contract player and the Mavericks boasting a better rotation than last season, Poulakidis’ opportunities in 2026-27 are likely to be limited.

De Larrea did not shoot the ball well on Thursday, missing all five of his three-point attempts, but the rookie’s overall floor game was excellent. Finishing one rebound shy of a double-double, de Larrea also accounted for 14 assists and three turnovers. While a healthy Kyrie Irving will run the show for the Mavericks when next season begins, fantasy managers in redraft leagues should not sleep on the 6-foot-5 de Larrea. A must-draft player in dynasty leagues, he may have some value in redraft formats as well.

Even with the signing of Tim Hardaway Jr., the Heat need more wing scoring to supplement a roster now headlined by Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo. As a result, Thompson is said to be a player of interest to the franchise, despite his struggles over two seasons in Dallas. He is still one of the best perimeter shooters in NBA history and can provide the spacing needed to create cleaner driving lanes for players like Antetokounmpo and Adebayo. It was also noted that the Heat’s interest is not contingent on them signing LeBron James in free agency. However, to make something happen, Thompson would need to be bought out of the final year of his current contract, which is worth $17.5 million.

The 28th overall pick in the 2021 draft, Springer is still looking to lock down a consistent role in the NBA. The former first-round pick came off the bench on Monday and provided solid production, shooting 50 percent from the field and 2-of-2 from beyond the arc. Dallas’ reserves made the difference on Monday, with Springer and undrafted rookies Darin Green Jr. (18/3/5/2 with five three-pointers) and Kodirichi Akobundu-Ehiogu (16 points, four rebounds and two blocks) combining to score 51 points.

De Larrea had an excellent floor game on Monday after struggling in Saturday’s loss to the Lakers. The rookie guard was responsible for 12 of Dallas’ 25 assists on the night, with the other four Mavericks starters combining for six. With Kyrie Irving expected to be fully healthy when next season begins and Cooper Flagg also in line to have the ball in his hands plenty, de Larrea’s fantasy ceiling may be limited as a rookie. But the basketball IQ makes him someone worth stashing in dynasty leagues.