The Dallas Mavericks have had a topsy-turvy year and a half and will attempt to stay relevant near the top of the Western Conference next season. Last season’s 39-43 record only earned them a place in the play-in, where the Memphis Grizzlies eventually knocked them out in the absence of Kyrie Irving.
The nine-time All-Star’s season had ended long back in March, when he suffered a torn ACL in his left knee. Irving suffered a torn kneecap back during the 2015 NBA Finals and has since had regular trouble with his left knee.
With no clear return timeline as things stand, the Mavericks have made multiple moves in the offseason, headlined by the arrival of Cooper Flagg as the No. 1 pick of the 2025 draft. All signs point to them still having the personnel to compete with the best in the West.
Add to that the fact that Kyrie is expected to return in time for the postseason, and there is considerable room for things to get interesting.
Kyrie Irving will return to become the Mavs’ best player
Historically speaking, Irving has always returned from major absences to shut down critics in glorious fashion. What he brings to the court has never been in doubt, and his numbers post-return have always been at his usual levels.
At the time of his injury last season, Irving was the only player in the NBA who averaged at least 20 points while shooting at least 40% from the three-point line and 90% from the free-throw line.
“Kyrie is the heart and soul of this team, and he has embraced the city of Dallas as his home and our fans as an extension of his own family,” the Mavericks GM Nico Harrison had said at the time, per ESPN.
And while doubts are bound to linger considering it is another major injury, the Mavs are still set up as a Kyrie team. They added D’Angelo Russell as a free agent to cope with his absence, but will still rely on his ball-handling and playmaking to get the best out of their other stars, Cooper Flagg included.
His absence last season immediately resulted in the Mavs’ title odds dropping from 66-1 to 200-1. While the front office has made multiple moves, the Mavs only look like a top Western Conference team with Kyrie leading the charge.
The Mavericks will exceed expectations next season
On paper, when Dallas have all of their players available, they look capable of competing with any team in the NBA. Their frontcourt consists of Anthony Davis, Derrick Lively II and Daniel Gafford, while their backcourt depth boasts of Kyrie, Klay Thompson and D’Angelo Russell. Add to that a combo forward potentially capable of doing it all in Cooper Flagg and a strong bench unit, and the Mavs only have injuries to worry about.
We expect Kyrie Irving to make a strong return to the team, which should result in the Mavs exceeding expectations and going on a surprise postseason run that gives some of the best teams a run for their money. The obvious concern, the fact that two of their best players in AD and Kyrie are prone to injuries, remains.
However, despite the difference in timelines between Cooper Flagg and the superstars that surround him, there is no reason why a fit and firing Mavericks roster cannot push for postseason success.
The Mavericks will rebuild with Kyrie at the helm
Irving is a future HOF superstar who has done it all. He has been to four NBA Finals in his career and is one of the most gifted ball-handlers in the history of the league. Add to that his basketball IQ, and Irving seems to be the ideal mentor for Cooper Flagg as he begins life in the NBA.
“His work ethic and absolute dedication to his craft, it's cut from the cloth of greats. I know it, I lived it, and I see the same ferocity and passion in him that I saw in Kobe,” Harrison had said at the time of Irving’s injury, per ESPN.
We expect Flagg to thrive both on and off the court due to the presence of the 33-year-old Irving. The Mavericks will not only recognize this, they will also push for further roster changes in the coming offseasons to create a team that better complements Flagg’s timeline.
However, while stars such as AD and Russell may not fit and Dallas may see them as assets that can be used to improve the roster, Kyrie will not be a part of those conversations. As the former Cleveland Cavaliers guard approaches the latter years of his career, we expect him to age gracefully while playing alongside a potential prodigy in Flagg.
