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The downfall of the Dallas Mavericks' 2024-25 season is complete; they witnessed their season come to an end at the hands of the Memphis Grizzlies, who put a merciful end to their campaign by defeating them in the play-in tournament, 120-106. The past two-plus months have gone as bad as it can go for the Mavs, and it's hard to fathom that this was a team that made it all the way to the NBA Finals just last year.
With the Mavericks not qualifying for the playoffs as a result of their play-in defeat, they became just the fifth team in NBA history to miss the playoffs entirely the season after making it to the NBA Finals as pointed out by Kevin Gray of DLLS. They joined the 2004-05 Los Angeles Lakers, 2014-15 Miami Heat, 2018-19 Cleveland Cavaliers, and 2019-20 Golden State Warriors as the only teams to do so.
Unlike those teams, this Mavericks side had a chance to reach the same heights this year; they beefed up the supporting cast heading into the season, adding Naji Marshall, Klay Thompson, and Spencer Dinwiddie to the core that made it all the way to the NBA Finals. Alas, the Mavs decided that it was best for them to trade Luka Doncic away, and then a terrible run of misfortune befell them, leading to the complete demise of their 2024-25 campaign.
Meanwhile, the other teams in the ignominious club were working with factors beyond their control. The Lakers had just traded Shaquille O'Neal away after his beef with Kobe Bryant reached its peak, the Heat and the Cavs plummeted in the aftermath of losing LeBron James in free agency, while the Warriors didn't just lose Kevin Durant, they were also without Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson for much of the season.
The Mavs continue to be the cautionary tale of all cautionary tales; if it ain't broke, then there is no reason to fix anything.
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Where do the Mavericks go from here?
With the Mavericks lacking draft assets, they are, for better or for worse, locked into their current core for the time being. They can always dangle Dereck Lively II in trades, but their frontcourt is their greatest strength, and it makes no sense to further take away from the team more than they had already lost. But this Mavs front office has shocked the world before, so no one should be surprised anymore with what they decide to do.
The hope is that Kyrie Irving returns to superstar form once he returns from injury while the rest of the team maintains a clean bill of health. That will be their recipe for success in what the Mavericks will be hoping is a redemption arc next season.
