The Golden State Warriors may have an issue with not having enough players right now, but that may not be as bad as having one too many and being forced to dump a recent first-round pick.
That’s just what the Dallas Mavericks have done in waiving-and-stretching forward Olivier-Maxence Prosper according to ESPN’s Shams Charania on Friday.
The Mavericks have been forced to dump Olivier-Maxence Prosper
After re-signing point guard Dante Exum at the start of free agency, the Mavericks were left with one too many players on their roster and the subsequent need to cut one via trade or by waiving.
Prosper has now felt the impact of that despite being contracted for $3 million next season and with a $5.3 million team option for the 2026-27 season. Dallas had searched for trades involving the 23-year-old, but were ultimately unwilling to attach their own draft capital to make a deal work.
While the Mavericks needed Exum for greater point guard depth as Kyrie Irving recovers from a torn ACL and isn’t expected to return until the second-half of the season, Warrior fans will be left laughing at some poor asset management from a key rival in the Western Conference (not that Golden State are immune to mismanaging their own young players).
The Dallas Mavericks are waiving 2023 first-round pick Olivier-Maxence Prosper via stretch provision, sources tell ESPN.
https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1961530915462521186?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Prosper was drafted 24th overall by the Sacramento Kings in 2023, just five spots after Warrior guard Brandin Podziemski whose fortunes have been far greater since entering the league. The Canadian was immediately traded to the Mavericks for cash considerations as Dallas took on the contract of veteran big man Richaun Holmes.
Prosper played 92 games for Dallas across his first two seasons, making five starts and averaging just 10 minutes per game. He posted 3.5 points, 2.2 rebounds and 0.7 assists, shooting only 39.6% from the floor and 26% from 3-point range.
In contrast, Podziemski has averaged nearly 27 minutes across his first two years and led the Warriors in plus-minus during the same period. The young guard has put up 10.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game on 44.9% shooting and 37.8% from beyond the arc, earning All-Rookie First Team honors and finishing fifth in Rookie of the Year in 2024.
After sensationally trading Luka Doncic before the mid-season deadline and losing Irving to injury shortly after, the Mavericks will be looking to bounce back after dropping to 10th and being eliminated in the Play-In Tournament.
Yet having stunningly risen to the No. 1 pick which gifted them Cooper Flagg, and with a full offseason/training camp with Anthony Davis, the Mavericks will be hoping for a return to the playoffs and figure as a team who could be in a similar tier to the Warriors next season.
