Mavericks' once-hyped fan favorite is dangerously speeding toward bust territory

After trading away Luka Doncic, the Dallas Mavericks have become one of the older teams in the league by trading for players like Anthony Davis and Caleb Martin last season. Since picking Duke sensation Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 pick of the 2025 NBA Draft, the Mavs have gotten younger, and perhaps they can start trending more in that direction if they give Ryan Nembhard and Miles Kelly some reps during the season.

However, one of their younger pieces might be gone sooner than we think. Olivier-Maxence Prosper was forced to play some decent minutes at certain points last season thanks to continuous injuries that derailed the Mavs, but if fans cross their fingers for a much healthier and luckier season than last, Prosper might just be shipped out because the Mavs simply have too many pieces to get through in the rotation. This is a great problem, but not for Prosper.

Some fans might say that's not fair to Prosper to get the axe after just two seasons, but fans can also use this as a scapegoat for Nico Harrison's win-now philosophy. With P.J. Washington, Anthony Davis, and of course, Flagg in the rotation, Prosper might be off this team a lot sooner than fans anticipated, and it's at the point where he is looking like a draft bust.

Deep roster might spell the end for Prosper's Mavericks tenure

Dallas traded into the first round of the 2023 NBA Draft to select Prosper with the No. 23 pick, and Mavs fans were ecstatic. A rookie class of Dereck Lively II and Prosper was poised to take the league by storm, and while Lively II has prospered through his first two seasons in the NBA, the same can't be said about Prosper at this point.

He was expected to have a real role as a rookie, but his indecisiveness, rawness, and offensive struggles led him to be in Jason Kidd's doghouse all season long.

Prosper had a much more active sophomore year campaign compared to his rookie year. A lot of that had to do with injuries, but in the bigger role that he got, he acted as the hustle player who would just make the most of his minutes and play as hard as he an at all times while bringing energy.

He averaged 3.9 points and 2.4 rebounds in 52 games last season. A lot of those weren't just garbage minutes either. In fact, he started in four games last season and was highly depended on to mostly play the four, and even the five during extreme measures. Hopefully, these extreme measures won't be taken anymore, but that also means that there's not much room for Prosper on the roster, and his once sky-high potential is looking like a long shot.

It's wild how things can turn in a year. Just around this time last year, former assistant coach Jared Dudley praised Prosper for his work ethic and pulled some optimism out of the hat that Prosper would get more involved in the rotation. Now that more guys are going to be involved more than Prosper, it might be time for Harrison and Prosper to have that tough conversation.

In Dallas, Prosper may never get the opportunity to spread his wings and truly develop, and if he remains here, he'll almost certainly be coined a bust.

None of this is Prosper's fault at all, though, as the young forward has done nothing but what the coaching staff has asked of him. Prosper's length and size are enough for him to make himself a defensive specialist; he just needs to be consistent and play without fouling. He can be a shining shooter at some points, as we saw during his rookie year with the Texas Legends (shot 42.5 percent from three in the G League), but it has been a different story in the NBA.

Prosper's chance also came in dire times of need, like when the Mavs could've been forced to do the unthinkable and forfeit games thanks to not having enough active bodies on the court. Prosper played about as good as he could've played, but as he enters year three on a loaded roster, the Mavs just may not be the team for him, and he may not have what it takes to make his presence felt at this point. This is not to say he's not worth anything as a player, but more of a truth bomb for Prosper to play somewhere else.