The Dallas Mavericks were in the Finals just two years ago, but they feel ages from a return trip now. It’s not uncommon for the team who just picked first overall in a sport to struggle and to need more help getting to a competitive level. However, the Mavericks are not that sort of team. They narrowly missed the playoffs because of injuries and a mindblowing trade, lucking into the top pick. Yet, they’re awful this year, and they have to figure something out. Unfortunately, the best path forward is to blow it up and rebuild.
Dallas Mavericks need to blow it up for Cooper Flagg
Cooper Flagg is a generational prospect. So far, he’s not been better than former Duke teammate and Charlotte Hornets star Kon Knueppel, but he’s improving all the time and will likely win Rookie of the Year when it’s all said and done. That sort of player is the thing bad teams need. The strange thing is that the Mavericks aren’t a “bad team” in the traditional sense.
In 2024-25, they were coming off a Finals trip and had a few injured stars, but they were likely to make another run. Then, Nico Harrison (graciously fired now) traded Luka Doncic, Anthony Davis got hurt, and Kyrie Irving got hurt. The speed at which this whole franchise torpedoed is honestly impressive, and it should tell them that the only way out is to cut bait and rebuild.
On paper, a team with Kyrie Irving, PJ Washington, Cooper Flagg, and Anthony Davis is really good. They should be competitive. But Davis is injured and often is. Plus, he’s way older than Flagg, so the timelines don’t match up. The same is true of Irving, but he might not play until the spring and even then, there’s no telling what his repaired knee will be able to do. He might not ever be the same.
So they have a big three of sorts, but it’s not at all on the same timeline and two of them are hurt. One of them might be a total dud when he returns. That’s not exactly a good selling point, so they need to just move on. Davis would have tons of suitors. Yes, he’s hurt, but he’s not dealing with a torn ACL. He’ll be back and shouldn’t be hampered by lingering effects. Even at 32, he should fetch a nice return that involves a future first-round pick and a young player, both things that line up much better with Flagg.
For Irving, there’s no telling what the Mavericks could get. He’s expensive and hurt, so he may be much more challenging to trade. He will also likely not be healthy by the time the deadline rolls around, so the Mavericks may be stuck with him. If they can trade him, it won’t be for much, but any asset will be a little more useful to the future.
And while they’re at it, the Mavericks should trade Klay Thompson. He’s not very impactful anymore, so he wouldn’t get them much in return, but he’s not a part of the future either, so anything helps.
What all of this will do is set them up with a stockpile of future assets to work with, so they can continue building around Flagg, who is extremely young. But what it also does is make the roster worse this year, which will help. The 2026 draft class is loaded, so it behooves the Mavericks to lose as much as possible, get into the lottery, and get another really good prospect, someone like Caleb Wilson, Mikel Brown, Chris Cenac Jr., or Jayden Quaintance. They won’t luck into the first pick two years in a row, but this class is deep enough to find a quality running mate for Flagg, whose future should be the top priority from now on.
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