The Dallas Mavericks have no fear. As much as the Mavs front office denies the risk involved, trading for Kyrie Irving was simply a perilous move to make. Irving has not exactly been the easiest to deal with off the court, and he remains a legitimate flight risk with mere months left on his contract. However, with Luka Doncic in town, these are the kinds of risks the Mavs must take to reassure their superstar that they mean business.

Adding Irving, however, gutted the Mavs' already-questionable defense even further. By giving away Dorian Finney-Smith in the deal that landed them the polarizing point guard, the Mavs have become even more razor thin defensively on the perimeter. Even head coach Jason Kidd, a preacher of defense, knows that outgunning the opposition is key to victory.

It will be exciting to see just how well Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic mesh together. Adding Irving certainly has the potential to take the Mavs onto a higher level. Given Irving's history, however, there's also a legitimate chance that this ends up blowing in the Mavs' faces.

Which among the former or latter is more likely to happen? Here are three bold predictions for the Mavs as an interesting final one-fourth of the season awaits them following the NBA All-Star break.

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3. Christian Wood ends up being more marginalized from the Mavs rotation

It's no secret that Jason Kidd isn't the biggest Christian Wood fan in the world. Kidd has repeatedly called out Wood for his lackadaisical defense. Wood, to his credit, has had his moments of defensive excellence. When locked in, Wood is able to protect the rim and hang with smaller, quicker guards on the perimeter.

By and large, however, Wood's defense has been mostly uninspiring. While he's not totally at fault, the Mavs' defense is a tad bit worse per 100 possessions with him on the floor, per PBP Stats.

After starting 16 straight games since mid-December, Christian Wood has found himself in a bench role once again in recent games following his return from a thumb injury. Despite Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving's absences in a few of those six games since his return, he has not played in more than 22 minutes.

One might think that with Kidd's newfound emphasis on putting the ball through the hoop, Wood would then earn more minutes. However, putting Wood on the floor doesn't seem to tick the boxes of what Kidd wants from his lineups. He either wants the switchability a small-ball unit affords him, or the presence of an athletic presence on the interior (like Dwight Powell) to help grease the wheels on both ends.

Kyrie Irving's presence when Kidd staggers his two lead guards' minutes will help Christian Wood's offensive production. Nonetheless, the impending return of Maxi Kleber – a 3 and D small-ball center and, most importantly, a Kidd favorite – would cut into Wood's minutes and involvement even further as the Mavs lean deeper and deeper into their perimeter identity.

2. Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic become the first teammates in NBA history to score 50 points each in the same game

How's this one for a bold prediction? There have been a few pairs across NBA history who each scored 40-plus points in the same game. But there has never been a pair of teammates who have managed to cross the 50-point barrier in the same game. As improbable as this feat would be, however, there might not be a duo better equipped to make history than Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.

Doncic has crossed the 50-point threshold five times this season, including a 60-point, 21-rebound, 10-assist masterclass against the New York Knicks in late December. Meanwhile, Irving has had six such games for his career, mostly recently in March 2022.

There will be a day where the entire Mavs supporting cast simply could not buy a bucket while Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving shoulder an inordinately heavy offensive load. And that day will be glorious.

1. Mavs end up facing the Phoenix Suns or Los Angeles Clippers in the first round

There will be plenty of subplots if the Mavs end up taking on the Suns in the first round. Will Luka Doncic continue being Devin Booker's “father”? How will Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant fare in a potential series given the dissolution of their partnership with the Brooklyn Nets? Will the Suns suffer from collective playoff PTSD following the shellacking they suffered at the hands of the Mavs in last year's playoffs?

Meanwhile, the Mavs will not want to see Kawhi Leonard in the postseason once again after The Klaw knocked them out of the playoffs in 2020 and 2021. Doncic may have the Clippers' number, but in the end, LA has always managed to pull out all the necessary stops to vanquish the plucky Mavs.

At the end of the day, the Mavs' playoff run will begin in an unforgiving manner. Given the talent in their roster, however, they will be more than up to the challenge.