What happened to the Dallas Mavericks?
Only two years ago, the Dallas Mavericks made it all the way to the NBA Finals but lost in Game 5 to the Boston Celtics. This Mavericks team was led by Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving.
The following season, there was a blockbuster trade. The Mavericks traded their franchise player, Luka Dončić, in a three-team deal. The Mavs sent Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis, Max Christie, Maxi Kleber, Markieff Morris, and draft picks.
Anthony Davis only played 9 out of the 32 games he was scheduled for with the Mavericks. After trading Luka, the Mavericks finished the season as the 10th seed with a 39–43 record. Their record was good enough to qualify for the play-in tournament, but they lost to the Memphis Grizzlies.
After the 2025 season, the Mavericks had just a 1.8% chance to win the draft lottery and secure the first overall pick. Surprisingly, they won and used the pick to select Cooper Flagg out of Duke University.
They started the next season terribly, posting one of the worst offenses in NBA history. However, Cooper Flagg has recently found his rhythm and become the frontrunner for Rookie of the Year. He is currently averaging 20.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game.
At the trade deadline, the Dallas Mavericks made another blockbuster trade, which many believe further damaged the already struggling team. The Mavericks traded Anthony Davis—the main return in the Luka Dončić deal—along with D’Angelo Russell, Jaden Hardy, and Dante Exum for Khris Middleton, Marvin Bagley III, AJ Johnson, two first-round draft picks, and three second-round draft picks.
After all of these moves, the Mavericks essentially traded Luka Dončić, one of the NBA’s best players, for an aging Khris Middleton and draft assets. As a result, the Dallas Mavericks now appear to be a broken franchise, with their only bright spot being a rookie.
