On Wednesday evening, the Dallas Mavericks dropped to 3-9 with a largely uncompetitive home loss to the Phoenix Suns. It was the first game the Mavericks had played since firing general manager Nico Harrison, but unfortunately, that didn't provide them wtih enough of a boost to get back into the win column.
Recently, former NBA player Gilbert Arenas took to the Gil's Arena Show to break down what his strategy would be now if he were in charge of the Mavericks.
“I'm shutting it down. Anthony Davis, sit. Kyrie get healthy, sit. Cooper Flagg, do your thing,” said Arenas, per Gil's Arena on X, formerly Twitter.
Both Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving are indeed out of the lineup at the current moment due to injury, Davis due to one he suffered earlier this season, and Irving from the torn ACL he suffered toward the end of last season, not long after the infamous trade of Luka Doncic that ultimately spelled Harrison's undoing.
Although dumb luck brought them Flagg in the NBA Draft, which Harrison laughably tried to claim was part of his vision, this year's bad start ultimately made the writing on the wall regarding Harrison's future too much to ignore.
Many have speculated that the Mavericks could now look to trade either Davis, Irving, or both in hopes of bringing back future assets and building a youth movement around Flagg. Dallas owns its first round pick in 2026 but will not have it again until 2031, which could further motivate them to start gathering assets now.
In any case, the Mavericks will next take the floor on Friday evening at home against the similarly struggling Los Angeles Clippers. That game will tip off at 8:30 PM ET.
