Remember last season, when the Dallas Mavericks made the NBA Finals, led by top-five superstar Luka Dončić? Yeah, Mavericks fans might need to cling to that for a while, because things are about to get ugly.
The Nico Harrison-led organization lost to the Memphis Grizzlies in Friday night’s play-in game, meaning their season is now officially over, and not unofficially over as it had been since Feb. 2.
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The 2024-25 season will go down in history as a self-inflicted nightmare for Dallas, as a newfound priority on defense, and low body fat percentages, convinced it to execute arguably the worst trade of all time, moving Dončić for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a single first-round selection.
That last part is especially egregious. Even if you decide to pivot off a guy who can win the MVP award any given year, at least get optimal value in return. Harrison himself argued he kept the dialogue with the Lakers close, as to avoid leaks, but that’s only something you do to increase leverage. If you want to basically give away a superstar anyway, why the secrecy? Hell, it would have been a good thing if those conversations had leaked, because that would have meant far superior offers coming in from the outside!
Anthony Davis and Luka Dončić will forever be linked. (Jerome Miron-Imagn Images)
(IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect / Reuters)
Sigh. Let’s move on.
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The Mavericks also traded Quentin Grimes to Philadelphia who ended up averaging … *checks notes* … oh, bloody hell, they did it twice, didn’t they?
All right, that’s probably enough of a season review for now, as we would prefer Mavericks fans to keep their lunches down.
Moving forward, Dallas is looking old, hurt and loaded with diminishing returning players. Kyrie Irving, who could become a free agent, went down with an ACL tear and probably won’t be back until January, if he’s even back in a Dallas uniform.
Davis, who’s unfortunately often injured, flat out can’t be expected to play 70 games and be ready for the playoffs anymore.
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Klay Thompson, last summer’s free-agent acquisition, still has a wet jumper that’ll probably stay with him for the next 50 years, but his defensive movement is absolutely shattered due to back-to-back ACL and Achilles tears.
Well, at least Dallas has … Caleb Martin? Oh boy.
2024-25 record: 39-43
Well, this is just cruel, isn’t it? That said, in all honesty, for Dallas Mavericks fans, the return of Dončić on April 9, when he gave their team the business with 45 points, might genuinely prove to be a highlight for the fan base, as it signaled a type of closure and a loud roasting of the organization.
Where to start? The Mavericks need health, talent, depth and a front office that won’t torpedo its future chances at success. The organization wishes to genuinely compete with a bunch of players approaching their mid-30s, all of whom have significant injury histories, so logic dictates there will be a pressing need for youth and health coming off the bench to prolong the competitive window. If only the Mavs somehow had more draft picks to fetch those players.
No. 11
While the Mavericks do have a core, at least for now, they are in no position to approach this draft with a focus on positional need. You can’t rely on any of your best three players to stay healthy, meaning you have every reason to swing big and go for the highest upside player available. Furthermore, you have to consider the possibility of Irving leaving this summer as a free agent, so if that talent with the highest upside has the ability to score at high volumes, that wouldn’t be a bad thing.
Kyrie Irving (player option)
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Dante Exum (UFA)
Spencer Dinwiddie (UFA)
Davis signed a three-year contract extension that kicks in this summer, meaning his salary jumps by roughly $11 million, up to $54 million. Assuming Irving picks up his option, he’s back at just under $44 million.
Fortunately, the rest of the roster is under manageable deals, and the coming cap spike (the cap is projected to be $154.6 million) is only going to give the Mavs more wiggle room to duck the first apron, just as they managed this season.
That said, they won’t have cap space to play around with, and they’ll have to make some alterations to unlock the non-tax mid-level exception.
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All in all, while they’re not in major financial trouble, their cap sheet could look cleaner.
The Mavericks are going for it. Whatever “it” ends up being. They’re more than likely going to be buyers from the summer through the 2026 trade deadline, because there’s no backing down now. In no world, and under no circumstance, can the Mavericks decide to change course after the Dončić trade, as they spent months arguing they stand a better chance at winning without him.
They have entirely painted themselves into the roughest of corners, and it’ll take an epic display of acrobatics to get out of it.
