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The Big D Breakdown · Morning

Camp Opens Quiet, Three Clocks Still Ticking to October 1

No new moves in the last day and a half, but the calendar to camp and injury clearances keeps moving.

$197.9MPayrollbelow the tax threshold
$200.4MTax Threshold$2.5M above Dallas's payroll
2026-10-01Injury Target DateLively, Aldama, Irving all listed
2026-10-09Preseason Openervs Rockets, three weeks out
By the Mavericks Nightly Desk · Saturday, September 19

Dallas made no roster move in the last day and a half, leaving training camp to open with the group Dusty May already has. Three players are working back from injury on the same target date, and the preseason schedule starts in three weeks.

Mavericks Nightly artwork
Illustration by Hoops Nightly.

No Moves, Full Camp

Dallas's transaction log stayed empty over the last day and a half. Training camp opens with the roster Dusty May built over the summer, and Mavs.com's roster-by-numbers rundown this week gave fans a full breakdown position by position ahead of the first practice.

Three Return Dates, One Number

Dereck Lively II, Santi Aldama and Kyrie Irving are each listed day-to-day, each targeting an October 1 return, three weeks before Dallas opens the preseason October 9 against Houston and three weeks before the regular season opens October 21, also at Houston. That gap gives all three time to be full participants once real games start.

What Coverage Is Chasing

The Smoking Cuban has spent this week asking whether Max Christie can justify the trade that ended Klay Thompson's stay in Dallas, whether Zaccharie Risacher's future gets settled fast, and whether Caleb Martin can stay playable enough to avoid becoming a cap problem. None of those questions has an answer yet, but camp is the place they get tested first.

When do the Mavericks play their first preseason game?

October 9, 2026, hosting the Houston Rockets, with the rematch two days later in Houston.

Will Kyrie Irving be ready for the regular season opener?

He is listed day-to-day with a left knee issue and targeting an October 1 return, three weeks before Dallas opens the regular season October 21 at Houston.

By the Mavericks Nightly Desk, written from the club's data and the reports on file, with every name and number checked against them. How the desks work.

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