Dallas, TX
Mavericks’ Olivier-Maxence Prosper to Play NBA Summer League
DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks do not have a first-round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, but they have plenty to look forward to with player development ahead of the next season. Dereck Lively II has already solidified himself as a key contributor, but Olivier-Maxence Prosper remains an important developmental prospect.
Prosper averaged 3.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 0.6 assists in 8.4 minutes per game in 40 appearances during his rookie campaign. Interestingly enough, back in July, the Mavericks felt there was a greater outlook for Prosper to earn playing time instead of Lively, but the opposite proved to be the case.
Prosper spent most of his season with the Texas Legends and showed intriguing progression as a shooter and scorer, averaging 18.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in 33.3 minutes per game. In those 24 games played, he shot 51.2% from the floor, 42.5% from deep (5.3 attempts per game) and 76.7% from the free throw line.
The Mavericks continue to view Prosper as being a potential difference-maker defensively. It’s easy to see why, considering he’s a 6-foot-7 wing with a 7-foot-1 wingspan and a strong frame. It wasn’t uncommon to see him working on cone drills focused on lateral quickness throughout the season.
During his media exit interview, Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison confirmed Prosper will participate in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas in July.
“O-Max is going to be good. We had his exit interview, and we just want him to have a really good summer, get back, get confidence and because the kid can play,” Harrison said. “He can play on both sides of the ball, and the goal for him is to come back in September in great shape with a lot of confidence and ready to compete for minutes. “
Harrison views Prosper as having a genuine outlook to earn playing time next season if he has a productive summer and enters training camp in great shape and having confidence.
“He’s a rookie playing with a team with a lot of good players in front of him,” Harrison said. “And so I think if he attacks this summer like he will, he has really hard work at the great kid that next year he comes, he comes back in great shape and confident enough to compete for minutes.”
Late in the regular season, Prosper emphasized the need for him to continue to slow down in his approach and grow his decision-making. “The biggest thing is just slowing down,” he said in April. “Slowing down out there, seeing what’s in front of me, taking the right shots, and just learning how to play with my teammates.”
Prosper added the need for him to emphasize his development defensively. “I didn’t play as much with them this year, but just keep learning how to play with them and just keep working on my efficiency and my defense,” he said. “Defense is a big key of my game, and I take a lot of pride in that. And, you know, I’m going to end up guarding the best wings in the world. So I got to keep working on that, and that’s what I focus on.”
The NBA will hold Summer League from July 12 to 22 in Las Vegas at Thomas & Mack Center and Cox Pavilion.
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Jeff Kolb and Sam Gannon welcome Cowboys insiders Clarence Hill (All City Dallas) and Calvin Watkins (Dallas Morning News) for a hilarious breakdown of the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft. Giving insight, arguments, and plenty of laughs as two of the best Dallas Cowboys writers in the business go head-to-head on what Dallas should do next.
Dallas, TX
New video of Lake Dallas explosion draws focus on order decades ago to remove old plastic pipes
The search for the next general manager or president of basketball operations of the Dallas Mavericks has begun. They terminated Nico Harrison in November, which was about nine months too late, and gave any available candidates clear notice that they were open for business.
The plan was always to wait until after the season to start the search. While names popped up as the season reached an end, they didn’t begin turning over the staff until the Monday after the season ended. However, Dallas Mavericks fans are not going to like how the team is going about the search.
Patrick Dumont Leading Search for General Manager
NBA insider Jake Fischer reported that the Mavericks are not hiring a search firm in their hunt for a new lead executive. Instead, team governor Patrick Dumont is “acting as his own point person.”
This is an… interesting decision, to say the least. Dumont is not a basketball person whatsoever, and most organizations usually hire a search firm. The Chicago Bulls hired one as they look for their replacement for Arturas Karnisovas. Just because a firm is hired doesn’t mean a team will listen, though.
The Mavericks hired a firm in their last search for a GM. They let Donnie Nelson go in 2021 after a long tenure with the Mavs. Instead of listening to the firm, though, Mark Cuban ignored it to hire Nico Harrison, who had no previous NBA front office experience. Harrison had been an executive with Nike, which gave him connections with players like Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis, and plenty of others.
For a while, that seemed to be working out okay. While he still had some questionable transactions, such as trading for Christian Wood and letting Jalen Brunson walk in free agency, they were still able to make a run to the NBA Finals in 2024. Then, he blew it all up, trading away Luka Doncic for an older and injured Anthony Davis, and the team hasn’t been the same since.
It’s imperative that the Mavericks get this hire correct. The interim Co-GM setup with Matt Riccardi and Michael Finley has performed admirably, but the 2026 NBA Draft is important for the Mavs to get right. It’s their best chance to pair Cooper Flagg with another young star, as they don’t own their first-round pick again until 2031 after this.
Hiring the right GM could help bring in more draft capital by bringing in bad contracts or flipping veterans into picks.
Dumont was able to convince Rick Welts, a Hall of Famer, to come out of retirement to be the CEO and lead the charge for a new arena. Maybe Dumont pulls another rabbit out of his hat for the GM.
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