Ever since the Dallas Mavericks landed the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, the task of surrounding Cooper Flagg, Kyrie Irving (once he's healthy), and Anthony Davis with the most optimal talent around them has likely been at the forefront of the minds of Dallas' upper brass. Flagg automatically makes Dallas' offseason easier to navigate because of the surplus of front-court talent the Mavericks will have once he's drafted, but this obviously begs the question of which route Dallas will go to fill their stop-gap guard void until Irving returns from his torn ACL.
There have been rumors that the Mavericks will pursue a high-level guard such as Lonzo Ball, Collin Sexton, or Jrue Holiday via trade, but there are other routes the Mavericks could explore to fill out their lack of guard depth as well. Depending on what amount of money Irving re-signs for in free agency, the Mavericks could open up their taxpayer MLE, and they could potentially open up the non-taxpayer MLE slot as well if they made some cap-relieving trade during or around the time of the draft, as opening up one of those two slots could give them the ability to sign free agent guards such as Ty Jerome, Chris Paul, or Malcolm Brogdon.
Brogdon has been the most recently rumored target out of those names, and while he could be a serviceable backup point guard in Dallas, he's well past his prime and couldn't be the sole solution to solving Dallas' stop-gap guard vacancy with Irving out of the lineup fore the first few months of the season.
Mavericks should've tried to get Malcolm Brogdon years ago, not now
Brogdon was injury-riddled this past season with the Washington Wizards, as he only played in 24 games for the Wizards last season, averaging 12.7 points, 4.1 assists, and 3.7 rebounds per game. Brogdon has always been one of the more efficient guards in the league, as he simplifies the game with the way he pinpoints advantageous scenarios en route to being able to score at all three levels, oftentimes using a crab dribble off a screen to make plays and create shots for himself.
However, elements of Brogdon's shot creation could be more limited by defenders next season considering he shot a career-low 28.6 percent from outside last season as well as the fact that he's a little less athletic and quick compared to his younger days (he turns 33 years old in December). Brogdon is a versatile guard at his size and has a stout frame defensively at 6-foot-4 and 229 pounds, so he'd immediately be one of Dallas' better point-of-attack defenders if he joined the Mavericks, and he's a great off-ball defender as well, but he simply wouldn't provide the type of offensive firepower the Mavericks need while Irving recovers from a torn ACL.
Brogdon would be a luxury to come off the bench for the Mavericks, but unless Brandon Williams takes a small leap or Jaden Hardy becomes more rotation-ready next season, the Mavericks need a guard who can play-make and shot-create at all three levels at a better rate than Brogdon proved to be able to last season. If the Mavericks made a draft night trade to acquire a name such as Tyrese Proctor or Walter Clayton Jr., perhaps Brogdon would be a more idealized option in free agency at that point, but getting one high-level or near All-Star level guard may be what could put the Mavericks over the top in terms of contending for a championship next season.
Trying to solve the stop-gap guard issue by acquiring two mid-level guards could work if a player like Brogdon has a bounce back season and rekindles the same burst and off-dribble shooting ability he displayed when he was one of the better two-way guards in the league during his stint with the Milwaukee Bucks, Indiana Pacers, and Boston Celtics, but that's tough bet considering his age and recent injury history.
Brogdon would've been the perfect guard next to Luka Doncic in Dallas a few seasons ago, as he was still in his prime, a little quicker on both ends, and would've been the type of defender at the guard position to offset Doncic's defensive shortcomings on occasion, but the Mavericks are currently projected to be a second apron team and would have to do some maneuvering just to sign Brogdon this summer, and it's a risky bet to assume he'd be worth that type of effort this summer considering his age and Dallas' need for more offensive pop at the guard position.
