Mavs must win now or grow talent

By David Mullen

The Dallas Mavericks begin the 2025-26 NBA regular season at a defining moment for the 46-year-old franchise and maligned GM Nico Harrison. This team must decide to begin with a sense of urgency or employ a heavy dose of patience. 

Harrison is in the hot seat. In February, he decided that the Mavericks would be better in the long-term without superstar forward Luka Doncic, who was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers for aging and oft injured All-Star forward/center Anthony Davis. Davis, 32, has played in each of the four Mavericks games thus far, averaging 25 ppg. Doncic averaged 46 ppg in the Lakers first two games before being sidelined with a sprained finger.

This is Harrison’s team. He maintains that the Mavs are in a “win now” mode. Going into this season, which began on October 22 with a 33-point home loss to the San Antonio Spurs, the Mavs have Davis and Max Christie (also acquired in the Doncic deal), returning veteran guard/forwards Klay Thompson, P.J. Washington, Naji Marshall, centers Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford, stopgap point guard acquisition D’Angelo Russell and the NBA’s overall 2025 No. 1 draft pick and anointed “Future of the Franchise” forward Cooper Flagg.

They are without All-Star point guard and team leader Kyrie Irving, who is expected to return later in the regular season while recovering from a knee injury. But by signing head coach Jason Kidd to a contract extension, playing Flagg like he’s a seasoned veteran and signing Russell, Harrison chose winning over waiting. Harrison may have chosen unwisely.

Flagg is from Newport, Maine by way of Durham, N.C. Early in the season, the Mavericks seem to be trying to imagine Flagg as a point forward, more in the image of Doncic. The current positioning of Flagg is wrong. He is learning about new teammates and absorbing different offensive and defensive schemes. The level of competition has risen exponentially. Flagg needs to be mentored by a leader before he can become one.    

Asking Flagg to do too much, too soon could damage his psyche before he even finds out where to find the best steak or enchiladas in his new big city home. Harrison, Kidd and Mavs fans must remember that Flagg is only 18 years old. Flagg is a fast learner, but patience will help him reach his full potential as an All-Star forward.

Much like the Mavericks, the NBA has begun the season in apparent disarray. They are facing major gambling allegations against current head coach of the Portland Trailblazers Chauncey Billups, current player Terry Rozier and former player and coach Damon Jones. The league also began the season without their injured marketing monarch 40-year-old LeBron James peddling the league.  

Even if the Mavericks adopt a more realistic expectation for the 2025-26 regular season and just try to make the playoffs anyway possible, success in the Western Conference is far from guaranteed. At least 12 teams are potential playoff teams with 10 spots available.

The Oklahoma City Thunder is the reigning World Champions, led by NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren. OKC is young, talented and hungry and their defense is relentless. The Thunder are deservedly the favorites to return as NBA Champions.

Dallas must compete against the Denver Nuggets and All-World center Nikola Jokic, who last season became the first player in NBA history to finish in the top three in points, rebounds and assists. The Houston Rockets will put the ball into the hands of veteran Kevin Durant while a young crop of talents plead for a chance to shoot as well. 

While the LA Clippers have their own legal troubles over a Kawhi Leonard sponsorship deal, they added Bradley Beal, John Collins and Chris Paul to join Leonard, Ivica Zubac and James Harden, a man that never met a basketball he didn’t like to shoot. The Clips will compete.

The Mavs must battle a maturing Spurs team that waited for Frenchman Victor Wembanyama to experience life in Texas and the NBA before asking him to carry the franchise. He has started the season with MVP aspirations and has delivered on both ends of the court. At 7 feet 3 inches, Wemby has point guard ball skills, the shooting ability of a scorer and the baseline dominance of the league’s best centers. He is a rare talent.

The Minnesota Timberwolves, led by the enigmatic talent Anthony Edwards, have made the Western Conference Finals in the last two seasons. Their youth and inexperience have kept them from advancing. They are one year older and wiser. The Golden State Warriors aren’t lacking experience. They are perennial contenders ready for one last run. Stephen Curry is in his 17th season but first complete season with All-Star Jimmy Butler III. The Warriors will “come out to play.”

The Los Angeles Lakers will always be a Mavericks rival as long as Doncic is around. There is a short timeline for James and Doncic to bring another championship to the Lakers. And the Memphis Grizzlies can only hope that Ja Morant has grown up and seizes the opportunity to be a great NBA player. No player is more susceptible to misdeeds than Morant.

The Mavericks have started the season poorly, losing three of their first four home games, but they lead the league in attendance. The drafting of Flagg helped buffer some of the sting fans felt over the Doncic trade. Whether or not Harrison decides wisely on how to direct this team in Flagg’s rookie season will determine if the GM can win back credibility with Mavericks fans. It’s a long season and there is a lot of credibility to win back.