The Dallas Mavericks are one of the most interesting teams in the NBA for the 2025-26 season.
Kyrie Irving’s injury was one of the two biggest factors that ruined the Dallas Mavericks’ season last year, along with the shocking Luka Doncic trade.
The worst part about Irving’s torn ACL is the long recovery time, with the superstar point guard expected to be sidelined until late January or February 2026.
Irving’s late start next season will make the Mavericks one of the most unpredictable teams next season, even with a full roster.
The Dallas Mavericks, who were at their lowest ebb, became a shock winner of the NBA Draft Lottery, acquiring the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. They had only a 1.8% chance of doing so.
Cooper Flagg is an automatic pick and with the Mavericks keeping the core of their roster, they could be one of the surprise teams in the NBA and become a real threat late in the season.
Nevertheless, NBA insider Brian Windhorst said he cannot support the idea that the Mavericks’ ceiling is on winning a championship for the first time since 2011.
“The Mavs have great depth, size and star power. This is a great modern formula,” Windhorst wrote in the thread.
“I also continue to be impressed with Cooper Flagg’s confidence and acumen. But it’s a very high bar to win this match, and I can’t get there.”
The Mavericks won’t admit it, but this is Flagg’s first year in the NBA and Irving is recovering from an ACL injury, so this year will be somewhat of a transition season for the team.
They are a formidable opponent for the team, but they were unable to make it past the play-in tournament last year.
The Mavs, who sit atop the Western Conference, face a tall order of earning a top-six seed and could return to the play-ins again.
If they can get through that and win a playoff series or two, that would definitely be considered a success.
But as Windhorst says, winning it all is a very high bar.