Previewing the Dallas Mavericks for the 2026-27 Season
The 2025-26 season for the Dallas Mavericks was a train wreck, as they finished 26-56. Trading Anthony Davis during the regular season and then firing GM Nico Harrison just created a chaotic environment for rookie Cooper Flagg. Owner Patrick Dumont was not hesitant to make a necessary change at the GM level, bringing in Masai Ujiri, an established executive in the league, while also making an outside-the-box hire in Dusty May.
The Mavericks certainly have the pieces to make the playoffs this season, but that also depends on the status of Kyrie Irving. He is healthy, but he has already been involved in plenty of trade rumors, and if things go sideways early, he would more than likely be put on the trade block.
Let’s get into discussing this organization for the upcoming season.
The Roster
Point Guards — Kyrie Irving, Marcus Sasser
Shooting Guards — Max Christie, Sergio De Larrea, Jett Howard (Two-Way Contract), John Poulakidas (Two-Way Contract)
Small Forwards — Cooper Flagg, Naji Marshall, Zaccharie Risacher, Tarik Biberovic
Power Forwards — P.J. Washington, Santi Aldama, Morez Johnson Jr., Caleb Martin, Tobi Lawal (Two-Way Contract)
Centers — Daniel Gafford, Dereck Lively II, Moussa Cisse
The roster has a pretty interesting mix of veterans and young talent, but it definitely looks different from last season. Kyrie Irving is still the main piece in the backcourt, but there is not a ton of proven depth behind him at point guard. The biggest difference is on the wing, where Cooper Flagg and Zaccharie Risacher give the team a lot more youth, size, and upside. P.J. Washington still gives them a reliable option at power forward, while Santi Aldama and Caleb Martin add some versatility off the bench. At center, Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II give them a strong rotation, especially defensively and around the rim. Overall, this roster looks younger and more athletic, but a lot of its ceiling will depend on how quickly the younger players develop and whether the guard depth can hold up throughout the season.
Biggest Questions
The biggest question I have for the Mavericks is the guard depth. Having Kyrie as your starting point guard is obviously great, but other than Kyrie, they have Marcus Sasser, who will need to take on the role of full-time backup. At shooting guard, they have Max Christie, but the options behind him are limited.
Even if Cooper Flagg runs a good amount of point guard, that still does not completely solve the issue at the 2 unless they have Flagg start at the 1 and push Kyrie to the 2. The talent is there, but that would mean having two players playing somewhat out of position, which could lead to inconsistency and maybe some frustration.
It will be very intriguing to see how Dusty May plays this out and what he can get out of his backcourt throughout the season.
The Mavericks also acquired Zaccharie Risacher from the Atlanta Hawks for very little, and I think this was one of the most intriguing moves of the entire NBA offseason.
Masai Ujiri loves long, high-ceiling wings, and Dusty May showed during his two years at Michigan that he was really good at getting the most out of his wings. Risacher has not had a great start to his career at all, as we know, but maybe a fresh situation is all he needed.
He was drafted No. 1 overall in 2024 for a reason. The raw talent is 100% there. Now the question is whether he can become more consistent and fit into the Mavericks’ system.
I think the biggest part of his game that will need to improve is his defense and overall toughness. The offensive talent is there and should continue to show up. He and Cooper Flagg could definitely be an intriguing wing pair to watch as the season progresses because the ceiling for the two former No. 1 overall picks is so high.
The last question I have is about the center position. Daniel Gafford has been a very solid and established big man for this team over the last few seasons, but the bigger question is Dereck Lively II.
Lively has shown some great flashes, but he has dealt with lingering injuries that have kept him sidelined for most of the past two seasons. After an elite rookie year, the expectations around him were extremely high, but that has faded quite a bit because he simply has not been on the court enough.
Him dealing with these lingering foot injuries is not a good sign for his career outlook, and he really needs to have a strong bounce-back season and, more importantly, stay healthy.
In 2024, when the two-big system of Gafford and Lively was clicking, they were arguably one of the best center duos in the league. If they can get back to that level, the ceiling for this team rises significantly.
Prediction Markets
Some of the current future betting lines for the Mavericks are as follows:
Regular-season win total: 33.5
To win the NBA Finals: +18000 (22nd-best odds)
To win the Western Conference: +8000 (10th-best odds)
To reach the Conference Finals: +4500 (10th-best odds)
To reach the Conference Semifinals: +1100 (10th-best odds)
To win the division: +7500 (3rd-best odds)
To make the playoffs: +220
To miss the playoffs: -270
To participate in the Play-In: +140
To win the NBA Cup: +12000 (23rd-best odds)
These betting lines are definitely below average. A lot of people seem to be much higher on the Mavericks going into this season than the prediction markets are after looking at these odds.
The lines suggest the Mavericks will hover around the 10-11 seed in the Western Conference, so right around that Play-In line.
Final Outlook and Prediction
Like I stated, a lot of people are higher on the Mavericks than the betting lines are predicting.
I think the ceiling for this team is around the 4 seed. If Cooper Flagg can stay healthy and really take another step forward, this team can certainly make the playoffs.
The floor, however, is pretty low. I would say around the 13 seed. The roster still has a lot of flaws, and if things go badly early, Kyrie will probably be traded for future assets.
I am going to lean more toward the floor here. I do not think the Mavericks are quite there yet, and I think they could have a similar season to the Spurs in Victor Wembanyama’s second season.
I think next year this team will be in a much better position to really flourish.
Final Prediction
31-51 — 12 Seed
Eli Saari
@ThatManChe On X
@Sidelines_SN On X
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