Dallas is drawing the kind of preseason attention that usually means two things at once: people expect a jump, and nobody is quite sure how real it is.
A poll of teams most likely to make a major leap now has the Mavericks tied for fourth with Philadelphia at 15 points. That’s a step up from the earlier projection that had Dallas pegged to finish 12th in the West.
At the top of the latest results, Indiana and Utah are tied with 46 points apiece. Washington sits third with 20, while Atlanta follows Dallas at 14.
Charlotte and Portland are tied at 10.
The names around Dallas tell you a lot about how the league is viewing this thing. Indiana is getting Tyrese Haliburton back from a torn Achilles, and the last time the Pacers were healthy, they came within a win of a championship.
Utah added No. 2 pick Darryn Peterson to Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. Washington used the first pick on AJ Dybantsa and is set to roll out a new Big Three with Trae Young and Anthony Davis.
Those teams have obvious, easy-to-point-to reasons for optimism. Dallas doesn’t.
Dallas has maybe, could be, what if.
That’s why the Mavericks’ place in this conversation feels so slippery. The same group of voters that moved them into the “major leap” discussion also left them without much actual belief attached to it. Put simply: people see possibilities, not certainty.
And there’s plenty feeding that uncertainty. Dusty May has never coached an NBA game.
Kyrie Irving hasn’t played in one in 16 months and turns 35 in March. Cooper Flagg was excellent as a rookie while shouldering an offense that finished 27th in the league.
On top of that, a large chunk of the roster from a 26-win team is still in place. For some evaluators, that looks less like a breakout team and more like a lottery squad with fresh paint.
That ambiguity has hung over the Mavericks all offseason. National writers have been willing to call them a sleeper, but not many have been ready to actually project something big.
There is, though, a real upside to being underestimated.
Dallas has spent the last two seasons living under a spotlight that never let up. First came the Finals run.
Then came the trade of Luka Doncic and the crash into a 26-win season, with the fan base revolting in plain view. Every result got turned into an argument about the franchise’s direction.
That pressure isn’t sitting over this group in the same way anymore. The expectations are low, the Western Conference is crowded, and almost nobody is picking the Mavericks to make noise. For a young team trying to learn a new system under a first-year NBA head coach, that kind of setup can be useful.
In Other News...
Mavericks Need One Key Thing From Tarik Biberovic Right Away
Tarik Biberovic arrives in Dallas with the kind of calling card that can get a player on the floor fast: a reputation as an elite perimeter shooter. For the Mavericks, that matters right away because a wing who can stretch the defense is easier to fit into the rotation, especially when he is coming over from a EuroLeague background where his shot has already shown up at a high level.
The challenge now is whether that production translates quickly enough in the NBA, where the three-point line sits farther out and the defensive pressure comes with a different kind of speed and physicality. Recent EuroLeague imports have found that adjustment tricky, and Biberovics path to meaningful playing time may hinge on how closely he can match the shooting efficiency that made him attractive in the first place. [Read more 🡒]
Mavericks Face A P.J. Washington Decision As Lakers Keep Watching
The Lakers attention has turned toward P.J. Washington after their run at Jonathan Kuminga came up empty, and that puts a familiar Mavericks trade candidate back in the conversation. Washington makes sense on paper next to Luka Doncic, giving Dallas a forward who can stretch the floor and hold up in a supporting role, which is why rival interest has lingered around him even as the offseason market has thinned out.
For the Mavericks, the bigger question is less about fit than leverage. A limited market can work both ways: it can keep Washington in Dallas if there are no serious bidders, or it can make him the kind of asset the front office has to at least listen on if another team keeps circling. The Lakers are watching, but the path to a deal still looks complicated enough that this may stay a name to monitor rather than a move ready to happen. [Read more 🡒]
Mavericks May Be Closer To A Kyrie Irving Decision Than Fans Think
The Mavericks offseason has already started to look a lot more like a reset than a quick fix. Under new management, Dallas is reportedly exploring ways to turn established pieces such as P.J. Washington into youth and draft capital, all with an eye on building around Cooper Flagg and giving the franchise a longer runway than the one it has tried to navigate in recent years.
Kyrie Irving remains part of that picture, and maybe the most complicated part of it. He is expected back from injury next season, but the chatter around Dallas has not stopped there, with the Heat and other Eastern Conference teams said to be keeping an eye on his situation. If the Mavericks are serious about the Flagg timeline, the next move could say plenty about how aggressive they want this retool to be. [Read more 🡒]