The Dallas Mavericks have been predicted to have a “better” record next season than last season by NBA analyst Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report.
Dallas went just 26-56 last season. Kyrie Irving didn’t play, as he was recovering from his left ACL tear, and Anthony Davis appeared in only 20 games before getting traded to the Washington Wizards.
With Irving set to play alongside Cooper Flagg next season, Swartz believes the Mavericks “should be significantly better” in Year 1 of the Dusty May era.
“If Flagg plays like an All-Star and Irving looks fully healed from his injury, this group should be significantly better than last year’s,” Swartz wrote.
Mavericks’ Notable Additions
The Mavericks added nine new players to the roster this offseason. They acquired Santi Aldama from the Memphis Grizzlies, Zaccharie Risacher from the Atlanta Hawks and Marcus Sasser from the Detroit Pistons, got Morez Johnson Jr., Sergio de Larrea, Tobi Lawal and Vsevolod Ishchenko in the 2026 draft and signed Jett Howard and Tarik Biberovic in free agency.
Dallas also signed Naji Marshall to an extension and re-signed Moussa Cisse, and as of this writing, veterans Klay Thompson, P.J. Washington, Daniel Gafford, Max Christie, and Dereck Lively II are still on the team.
While nothing is written in stone, May is widely expected to start Irving, Christie, Flagg, Washington and Lively II next season.
“There’s still a fair amount of veteran talent left on a rebuilding roster around Flagg, headlined by the return of Irving from a torn ACL,” Swartz wrote. “Washington, Marshall, Thompson, Caleb Martin and Gafford are all solid rotation players/starters, giving the Dallas Mavericks some hope that a return to the playoffs won’t take long. Playing time needs to be carved out for first-round picks like Johnson and De Larrea to develop, however.”
Irving And Flagg Will Be Fun To Watch
Several contenders are interested in trading for Irving, but the Mavericks have made it known to interested teams that they want to keep Irving next to Flagg, sources told Dallas Sports Journal.
Irving and Flagg have a strong relationship, sources said. Flagg received consistent, valuable mentorship from Irving last season even though Kyrie didn’t play, sources said.
Irving will make $39.5 million next season. The Mavericks acquired the future Hall of Famer from the Brooklyn Nets during the 2022-23 season.
The 2011-12 Rookie of the Year, Irving enters next season with career averages of 23.7 points, 4.1 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game in the regular season and 23.0 points, 3.7 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game in the playoffs. The 2016 NBA champion averaged 24.7 points and 4.6 assists per game during the 2024-25 season before tearing his ACL.
The Mavericks missed the playoffs in 2025 and 2026. However, they appear to have a bright future with Flagg leading the way. The Duke product won the 2025-26 Rookie of the Year award. He finished the season averaging 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game.
