DALLAS — ESPN placed the Dallas Mavericks in the sixth of eight tiers in its first broad look at the 2026-27 NBA season, grouping Dallas with eight other teams that could sneak into the playoffs or finish near the bottom of the standings. Zach Kram published the tiers Wednesday morning.
Kram built the Dallas case on a full season from Kyrie Irving and further development from Cooper Flagg.
Charlotte, Golden State, Memphis, New Orleans, Phoenix, Portland, Utah, and Washington filled out the tier alongside the Mavericks. Kram wrote that the Western Conference race looks jumbled after the top six.
Those six sat in the two tiers above Dallas. Oklahoma City and San Antonio went in the championship group with New York. Denver, Houston, the Los Angeles Lakers, and Minnesota made up the next tier.
Dallas finished 26-56 last season and placed 12th in the Western Conference. The Mavericks ranked 27th of 30 in offensive rating at 110.3.
Flagg won Rookie of the Year on April 27 with 56 of 100 first-place votes. In 70 games, he averaged 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 4.5 assists while shooting 46.8% from the field, 29.5% from 3-point range, and 82.7% from the free-throw line. Flagg recorded 13 double-doubles. Against the Orlando Magic on April 3, he scored a career-high 51 points. He became the youngest player in NBA history to reach 50 in a game.
Irving has not appeared in a game since March 3, 2025. He tore the ACL in his left knee against the Sacramento Kings that night and underwent reconstruction surgery later in the month. Dallas ruled him out for the entire 2025-26 season on Feb. 18. Over 50 starts in 2024-25, the nine-time All-Star averaged 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists, and he shot 40.1% from 3-point range.
Dusty May On Kyrie Irving’s Return To The Dallas Mavericks
Masai Ujiri took over as president of basketball operations on May 4 and dismissed Jason Kidd 15 days later. Mike Schmitz became general manager May 8 after four seasons as an assistant general manager with the Portland Trail Blazers. Dallas hired Dusty May on June 23, three months after he coached Michigan to the national championship.
Dallas Mavericks coach Dusty May said Irving has a solution for everything when the ball is not in his hands, in a Sept. 3 appearance on 105.3 The Fan.
“I’ve been a part of a couple workouts with Kyrie,” May said. “I’ve watched him work out on his own and I’ve watched him play pickup, and then I’ve gotten feedback from others that have watched him play recently, and I couldn’t be more excited to be on his team. I’ve been blown away.”
“We all know how talented Kyrie is with the ball in his hands,” May continued. “But to see his level of preparation, attention to detail, and IQ, it’s something that I’ve never seen at the level that he works at. And I can’t wait for him to share that with the rest of our group, especially the young core that we have.”
Dallas was 75-53 in the games Irving played after his arrival in a February 2023 trade with the Brooklyn Nets. The Mavericks were 42-75 in the games he missed.
Dallas Mavericks Open Regular Season Oct. 21 In Houston
Dallas used the No. 9 pick on Morez Johnson Jr., who played at Michigan for May. Santi Aldama and Marcus Sasser arrived in a six-team trade this summer. Zaccharie Risacher, the first overall pick in 2024, also joined the roster. Dereck Lively II is back after missing nearly all of last season, and Schmitz has said the Mavericks got bigger, longer, more athletic, and more skilled around Flagg and Irving.
The Mavericks open training camp before Sept. 29. Dallas plays the Houston Rockets on Oct. 9 and Oct. 11 at The Venetian Arena in Macao in the NBA Global Games. The regular-season opener comes Oct. 21 at Houston, with tip-off scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CT. The San Antonio Spurs visit American Airlines Center on Oct. 24.
