NBA Trade Rumors: Dallas Mavericks Have Shown Interest in Veteran Shooting Guard

The Dallas Mavericks are looking to upgrade their roster this summer after losing to the Boston Celtics in five games in the NBA Finals. They have the top talent to get there with Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving but they need better supporting talent.

One way they’re looking to upgrade is by acquiring better 3-point shooters. Their perimeter shooting failed them in the Boston series and was one of the biggest reasons they lost that series, as the Celtics could afford to show more attention to Doncic and Irving.

According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, a name the Mavericks have expressed an “exploratory interest” in is veteran shooting guard Landry Shamet, currently with the Washington Wizards.

Shamet was acquired by the Wizards from the Phoenix Suns in the Chris Paul and Jordan Poole three-team trade last summer, and averaged 7.1 PPG while shooting a career-low 33.8% from 3-point range. A lot of his shooting struggles were from the lack of playmaking on the Wizards’ roster and could be due for a rebound year if he were receiving passes from Doncic and Irving with better spacing, as he is a career 38.4% shooter.

The Mavericks are currently looking to offload Tim Hardaway Jr., who is set to make north of $16 million in the last year of his contract. Shamet has two years, $22.75 million remaining on his contract, with the second year being a team option. Any framework involving these two teams likely deals with Hardaway going to Washington with a swap of second-round picks. Dallas dealt with Washington at the trade deadline, making a deal for Daniel Gafford and not quite completing a trade for Kyle Kuzma.

Availability is a concern for the 27-year-old from Wichita State, as he hasn’t played in more than 70 games since his rookie season. In the last two seasons combined, he’s appeared in just 86 total games. Shamet has been a part of some successful teams, such as the 2022 Suns who won more than 60 games, and the 2020 Clippers and 2021 Nets, who each finished second in their respective conferences that season.