After flipping superstar guard Luka Doncic midseason last year and lucking into No. 1 draft pick Cooper Flagg, the Dallas Mavericks headed into the 2025-26 season with the full confidence of embattled team president Nico Harrison.
But reality seems to be disagreeing with Harrison’s projections.
Dallas brought in 10-time All-Star big man Anthony Davis, 3-and-D role player wing Max Christie, and a first-round pick in exchange for an outgoing trade package toplined by Doncic this past February. The oft-hurt Davis quickly got hurt, an overextended Kyrie Irving followed suit with a more serious ACL tear, and the Mavericks fell into the play-in tournament bracket to close out the 2024-25 season. Dallas failed to advance into the playoffs proper, but shored up its frontcourt by grabbing Flagg out of Duke this summer.
Knowing that Irving would miss much of the year recuperating from his ACL tear, Harrison signed inconsistent vet D’Angelo Russell in free agency this summer, but otherwise did little to address an obvious backcourt need.
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The Mavericks have stumbled to a miserable 3-7 season start, with their backcourt depth problems compounded by general floor-spacing roster deficits. By the time Irving does rejoin his teammates, Dallas might be permanently out of the playoff picture for the year.
Depending on how the next few months shake out, the Mavericks could become sellers at this year’s trade deadline, with a presumably-frantic Harrison looking to re-balance his roster around the 18-year-old Flagg, rather than his two maximum-salaried veteran superstars, 32-year-old Davis and 33-year-old Irving.
One big name that has already been floated as a trade chip for Dallas is the club’s third aging future Hall of Famer, swingman Klay Thompson. Thompson has regressed mightily this year, and although his salary may prove prohibitively pricey to trade to rival teams, that doesn’t mean Dallas won’t try to ditch him.
“It is no secret that Harrison and the Mavericks’ front office will explore what return exists for Klay Thompson before the trade deadline,” reveals Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints.
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