The Dallas Mavericks are getting Kyrie Irving back, and that alone changes the temperature around the franchise. Irving is expected to return from an ACL tear this coming season, which means Cooper Flagg will get his first chance to share the floor with him. That should help address some of the issues that contributed to Dallas losing 56 games last season.
But the Mavericks still have holes that one big-name return won’t magically cover. Backcourt depth remains thin, and the center spot still lacks stability.
That’s where Masai Ujiri’s approach matters. The new president isn’t looking to force a move just for the sake of movement. He understands there’s work left to do, but he also appears committed to waiting for the right deal instead of making a desperate one.
NBA Insider Chris Haynes recently said Ujiri may still have more in store when discussing the team’s direction. Haynes made it clear Dallas isn’t operating from a place of panic.
"From what I was told, this was as of yesterday. Masai is very open to doing things, but he won’t make a change just to make a change," Haynes reported. "I wouldn’t be surprised if the Dallas Mavericks have something left up their sleeve."
That kind of patience could leave the door open for a larger trade or even a free-agent addition. For now, nothing seems off the table. As the report put it, "He's always open for business."
That’s the right mindset for a roster that still has plenty of moving parts. Cooper Flagg is only entering his second season, and Dallas is trying to strike a balance between staying competitive now and not overreacting to its own flaws.
The front office has already made a few notable additions this offseason. Dallas traded for forward Santi Aldama and acquired the rights to Tarik Biberović before signing him to a two-year deal. Both players bring shooting, which should help a team that struggled from deep and also give the bench a little more pop.
Biberović might be the most underrated pickup of the bunch. He spent much of his development overseas and became one of the better 3-point shooters in Europe.
Last season, he split time between the EuroLeague and Turkish BSL and knocked down 45.8 percent of his 5.4 3-point attempts per game. That’s exactly the kind of number that should catch Dallas fans’ attention.
Even with those additions, the roster still has some obvious pressure points. Irving’s return will be a major boost, but the Mavericks were exposed last season when he was out because they didn’t have a backup point guard ready to step in. That issue still hasn’t been solved.
There’s also a logjam in the frontcourt. Dallas recently drafted Michigan forward Morez Johnson Jr., adding yet another forward to a group that already looks crowded.
That could create a tough situation for someone like P.J. Washington, since there may not be enough room for everyone.
It’s something the Mavericks will have to sort out.
The bigger point is simple: Dallas cannot afford to get impatient. Ujiri seems to understand that. The franchise is still working through the mess Nico Harrison left behind, and a rushed trade would only risk making things worse.
The warning signs are easy to remember. Not long ago, Dallas was tied to NBA Champion Kawhi Leonard, and the reported trade package was centered around P.J.
Washington and Klay Thompson. That deal never happened, and the Mavericks ended up avoiding what would have been a disastrous move.
That’s the lesson here. The Mavericks don’t need to chase a blockbuster just to say they did something. Ujiri appears willing to let the roster breathe, see what it becomes, and wait until the right opportunity actually shows up.
Even the example of the San Antonio Spurs points in that direction. They chose not to make any drastic moves and instead focused on building around Victor Wembanyama over time.
That’s the kind of patience Dallas needs if it wants to build something real around Cooper Flagg. Right now, it’s far too early for desperation.
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The Mavericks spent the offseason reshaping their future, landing Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 overall pick and continuing to build around Kyrie Irving as a veteran anchor for a roster that suddenly has a much different look. Dallas has made clear it wants Irving to remain part of that plan, especially with the rookie phenom arriving and the team still trying to define its next core.
Still, the league keeps finding ways to drag Irving into bigger summer speculation, and Miami has become part of that conversation again because of the LeBron James angle. James is an unrestricted free agent, has told the Lakers he does not intend to return, and the Heat are among the teams being mentioned as a possible landing spot, which is enough to keep any Irving-to-Miami chatter from fading quietly. [Read more 🡒]
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Masai Ujiri May Not Be Finished Reshaping The Mavericks Yet
The Mavericks have already spent the offseason remaking themselves from the top down, bringing in Masai Ujiri as president of basketball operations and Dusty May as head coach, then following with a sprawling six-team sign-and-trade that sent AJ Johnson and Khris Middleton out and added Santi Aldama, Marcus Sasser and the draft rights to Tarik Biberovic. It has been a busy stretch for a team that clearly is not interested in treating this as a minor reset.
Even after that flurry of activity, NBA insider Chris Haynes says Ujiri is still open to another roster move if the right opportunity comes along, which is the sort of note that tends to keep the rest of the league watching. For Dallas, it suggests the reshaping may not be finished yet, and that there could still be something left up its sleeve before the roster is finally set. [Read more 🡒]