It’s almost exactly a year to the day since now-former Mavericks GM Nico Harrison stunned the NBA by trading away his franchise player, Luka Dončić, to the Los Angeles Lakers. Anthony Davis and a constellation of picks headed to the American Airlines Center in exchange for a generational talent. The risk had to work immediately, or Harrison would be fired, and the front office gutted.
Well, 12 months on, we know how the story has played out. Davis has already been shipped to the Washington Wizards after featuring just 19 times in an injury-hit year. Harrison was unceremoniously fired five months ago. And the Mavericks have lost 18 of their last 20, cratering to a paltry 23-36 regular-season record, good enough for third-bottom in the Western Conference.
It’s safe to say that the Mavs won’t be reaching the playoffs this season, and one look at the online betting sites will tell you exactly that. The latest Bovada NBA odds list Dallas as a whopping +150000 outsider to lift the Larry O’Brien this season. Spoiler alert: It won’t happen: the playoff picture has been rubble for months.
And yet. Amid the ash, Cooper Flagg is out here dropping 42-point games at 19 years old, averaging 20 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 4.5 assists while playing for a roster that would embarrass a G-League front office. He’s somehow surviving the tank, with whispers of the second coming of Dirk Nowitzki growing louder by the week. The Mavs rebuild has a North Star. What it doesn’t have is a supporting cast, cap room, or a coherent path forward. That has to change this summer, and here’s how.
Nail the 2026 Draft Pick
Dallas looks set to enter this summer’s draft lottery sitting sixth in the standings with 9.0% odds at the No. 1 pick—but don’t let the position fool you. This is the mathematical sweet spot. The sixth slot actually carries better aggregate top-four probability than several teams above it, because the odds concentrate in the top-five range in ways that reward the middle tier. And lest we forget, the Mavericks somehow scooped the number one pick last year, despite them having just a 1.8% chance.
The dream? AJ Dybantsa at 1 or 2. The BYU freshman—6’9″, 25 points and 6.8 rebounds per game —is a shot-creating wing who plays exactly how modern NBA contenders are built. Pair him with Flagg, and you’ve got two two-way forwards who could anchor Dallas for the next decade. Cameroon Boozer, Duke’s explosive scorer, is the alternate version of the fantasy. Realistically, picks four through six bring Darius Acuff Jr., Caleb Wilson, or Kingston Flemings—each a legitimate foundational piece.
Miss here, though—reach for a lesser prospect, whiff on fit, draft another half-realized talent—and Flagg spends his prime carrying impossible weight. This is their only controlled lottery chip until 2031. There’s no second swing. Draft right, and the rebuild accelerates. Draft wrong, and the Luka trade remains one of the most catastrophic decisions in NBA history.
Get Kyrie Irving and Dereck Lively II Back
Right now, the Mavericks are losing a lot of close games. They have played 42 games in which the differential has been five points or less in the final five minutes — also known as clutch games. They are 15-27 in these situations, and no team has played more of them. Having “Mr. Fourth Quarter” in Irving will help swing winnable games lost this season. He can help control the game in earlier phases, too, preventing some of these games from turning into close calls.
The Mavericks project Irving as a strong complementary fit alongside Flagg. Irving has become a master of attacking within the flow of the game and making himself available as a decoy. Irving can focus on being a score-first guard, while Flagg can handle the ball and help alleviate pressure, all while they both can play any role in half-court actions to leverage their gravity.
The most impactful rim protection option the Mavericks have on their roster is Dereck Lively II. His season ended after seven games, and he was playing a different role alongside Davis, who is no longer there. He is positioned to have a much greater impact when he returns.
All of this adds up to the Mavericks being able to swing plenty of the games they’ve lost this season if they can stay relatively healthy. Additionally, there will be internal development gains for young players on the roster, with Flagg, Christie, and others continuing to improve.
Add Shooting
Watch any Mavericks film from the past three months, and the spacing crisis is visual torture. Flagg drives downhill into three converging defenders because nobody on the perimeter commands a second thought from help rotations. The 3-point line simply isn’t a threat.
Fix this, or nothing else matters. Anfernee Simons—27 years old, shooting 38.7% from three, a legitimate catch-and-shoot weapon who can also create —headlines the free agency targets. Norman Powell, catch-and-shoot assassin, offers a cheaper version of the same medicine. Rui Hachimura at roughly $17M AAV provides size, shooting, and switchable defense—a three-for-one value play. Via trade, Andrew Wiggins (40.7% from three this season) could arrive without sacrificing first-round capital, a low-cost spacer who’s been undervalued since his Golden State years.
Or solve it at the source: if Peterson lands in the draft, Dallas gets floor-spacing baked into its highest selection. But that can’t be the only plan. Flagg’s pick-and-roll gravity requires multiple shooters to collapse help coverage. Surround him with non-threats, and you’ve built a beautiful cage.
Lock In Max Christie
Other GMs are already circling. They’ve seen the tape: 22 years old, shooting 45.9% from three, guarding ones through threes, operating seamlessly without needing touches or sets designed for him. Max Christie is the 3-and-D archetype that every contender covets, and almost no one has cheaply. He’s extension-eligible for four years, $92.8M—roughly $23M annually.
That number sounds steep until you price it against the alternative. Restricted free agency means another team can offer Christie a max sheet and force Dallas into a matching decision with less flexibility, worse timing, and more panic. Paying up to $23M per year for a 22-year-old Flagg running mate who spaces the floor and locks down perimeter scorers? That’s certainly astute business, astute business that needs wrapping up this summer.
