Inside the Mavericks’ Crossroads: Can Dallas Build Around Cooper Flagg or Chase the Playoffs With Davis and Irving?
Last Friday, just hours before tipoff between the Mavericks and Lakers at Crypto.com Arena, two key figures in Dallas’s front office were deep in conversation courtside. Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi-now interim co-general managers after the exit of Nico Harrison-were doing more than just catching up. They were mapping the future of a franchise still reeling from the blockbuster trade that sent Luka Dončić out of town nine months ago.
With Harrison gone, Finley and Riccardi are now steering the ship, tasked with a critical decision: stay the course laid out by Harrison or pivot in a new direction. And make no mistake, that decision will shape the Mavericks for years to come.
A Team on the Brink, But Not Broken
At 7-15, Dallas isn’t exactly thriving-but they’re not falling apart either. Monday’s 131-121 win over Denver was a reminder that the team still has fight.
Unlike bottom-dwellers like Washington and Sacramento, the Mavs are staying competitive. They’ve played a league-high 17 games classified as “clutch” (decided by five points or fewer) and have managed to win six of them.
It’s not a great record, but it’s enough to suggest they’re not far off from turning the corner.
Head coach Jason Kidd sees it as a silver lining. “Close games,” he said recently, “are only going to make us better as the season goes on.”
And there’s logic to that. Experience in tight games can be invaluable-especially for a young core trying to find its identity.
Injuries Have Muddied the Picture
Of course, any evaluation of this team has to start with the injuries. The roster Dallas envisioned when they pulled the trigger on the Dončić trade hasn’t really seen the floor together.
Kyrie Irving hasn’t suited up all season. Anthony Davis only just returned after a lengthy absence.
Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford are still sidelined. And in a moment that could only be described as peak Mavs luck, P.J.
Washington rolled his ankle after stepping on a basketball during warmups.
It’s been that kind of year.
The Cooper Flagg-at-point guard experiment didn’t pan out, forcing Kidd to cycle through a mix of backups-D’Angelo Russell, Brandon Williams, and most recently, Ryan Nembhard. The result?
A half-court offense that’s been downright painful to watch. Heading into Monday’s game, Dallas was averaging just 90.9 points per 100 half-court plays, well below league average and only marginally better than Indiana, a team also decimated by injuries.
Davis Returns, and the Offense Finds a Pulse
But Davis’s return has already changed the tone. He’s not the pure playmaker Dallas needs, but he remains a vital offensive hub.
In his first game back against the Lakers on Friday, he eased in with 12 points in 27 minutes. By Monday, he looked like himself again-32 points, 13 rebounds, and four assists in just 32 minutes against the Nuggets.
His presence opened up the floor for others. Nembhard dropped 28.
Flagg added 24. Klay Thompson chipped in 15.
Davis’s gravity on both ends of the floor was unmistakable.
“Offensively and defensively, he’s the anchor for us,” Nembhard said. “We throw it in to him, he can go get a bucket and defensively he’s a shot blocker and he takes care of our little mistakes.”
The Kyrie Factor
Irving’s return could be the real game-changer. Dallas’s half-court offense is crying out for a shot creator, and Irving-when healthy-remains one of the best in the league at breaking down defenses. Even if he’s not quite the version we saw last season, his shooting alone (over 40% from three) would give a major lift to a team currently ranked in the league’s bottom five from deep.
The Mavericks believe that a healthy trio of Davis, Irving, and Flagg could push them into the playoff picture. And that’s not an unreasonable take. But it also raises a critical question: Should they go for it?
Short-Term Push or Long-Term Play?
The reality is, this team isn’t getting younger. Davis is 32.
Irving is 33. Thompson is 35.
Harrison’s vision was to open a three- to four-year championship window with this core, but Year One is already a wash, and Year Two is off to a rocky start. Meanwhile, the 2026 draft is being hyped as one of the deepest in recent memory.
A top-10 pick could be a franchise cornerstone.
Post-Harrison, the decision-making group in Dallas has expanded. Finley and Riccardi are leading it, but Kidd-who signed a contract extension in October-has a strong voice.
Mark Cuban is back in the room. And team governor Patrick Dumont is taking a more hands-on approach.
That group has already had internal discussions about possible roster moves. And yes, that includes the idea of moving on from Davis.
Davis’s Trade Value: Still a Question Mark
Right now, the market for Davis is lukewarm. Teams want to see how he holds up after the calf injury. As one rival executive put it, “I’d want to see at least a few weeks of him… maybe more.”
But if Davis proves he’s still the two-way force we’ve seen in the past, suitors could emerge. Chicago, which has cooled off after a hot start, is a name that’s come up.
Atlanta could get involved, especially with Kristaps Porziņģis’s expiring deal and some draft capital to play with. And in a crowded Eastern Conference, where the line between contender and pretender is razor-thin, it’s easy to imagine a few front offices talking themselves into the idea that Davis could be the missing piece.
Flagg: The Future Is Now
If Dallas does decide to pivot, they’ve got a pretty compelling reason: Cooper Flagg. The 18-year-old wing is already making history.
On Saturday, he dropped 35 points-the youngest player in NBA history to hit that mark. He followed it up with a 10-of-19 shooting night in Denver.
Thompson, a veteran who’s seen plenty of young talent come and go, didn’t hold back in his praise. “Cooper’s upside is limitless,” he said.
“He has every tool to be great. Sometimes I can’t believe he should be a [sophomore] in college.”
Dallas believes Flagg needs a true point guard next to him. That’s why Irving, despite the age gap, is viewed as a potential long-term partner.
He’s thrived in Dallas, earning an All-Star nod last season and continuing to deliver in clutch moments. If he can stay healthy, the Mavs see at least a couple more productive years in him.
So What’s Next?
The Mavericks are at a crossroads. Davis’s return has injected some optimism.
Irving’s return will add more. The playoffs aren’t out of reach-not yet.
But the front office has to decide whether chasing a low seed is worth more than a shot at a franchise-altering draft pick.
It’s December, and the clock is ticking. The decisions made over the next few months could define the next decade of Mavericks basketball. Whether they double down on the present or lean into the future, one thing’s clear: Cooper Flagg is at the center of it all.