Newly acquired Dallas Mavericks forward Zaccharie Risacher finally opened up about his offseason trade from the Hawks to the Dallas Mavericks. The Dallas Mavericks were a part of the three-team trade that led to the Hawks acquiring Lu Dort from the Oklahoma City Thunder and Ryan Nembhard from the Mavericks, with Dallas getting Zaccharie and a protected 2027 second-round pick. The trade ended a tumultuous time for us in Atlanta, as he struggled to find his place in Quinn Snyder's rotation.

During an interview with the Locked On Mavericks podcast, Risacher was asked why he thought his time with the Hawks didn't work.

“I honestly don't know, because I felt like I had a good first season. After my first season, I was told that I had a great year, and was like, “I went over the expectation.” It was really surprising for me this second season. I didn't know much about what was happening. At the same time, I was a part of a team that was competing for a playoff spot, and I understand that's a part of the game.

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He added, “I was also told that the NBA is really competitive. Not that I understood, but I feel like, like I said, it's a part of the game, it's a part of the league we're in.”

Risacher averaged 9.6 points and 1.1 assists while shooting 36.8% from 3-point range in 67 games played for the Hawks in the 2025-2026 season, but during the playoffs against the eventual NBA champion New York Knicks, Risacher saw his numbers dip. He ultimately averaged 3.7 points, 3 rebounds, and shot 35% from the field over three games in the first-round series.