Year 2 of the Cooper Flagg era - which looks much different than the year before - begins on Oct. 21.
Reigning NBA Rookie of the Year, Cooper Flagg, officially assumes his role as the key figure of the Dallas Mavericks franchise in the 2026-27 season.
The season begins on Oct. 21 as Dallas travels south to face the Houston Rockets in the season opener. The home opener at the American Airlines Center is set for Oct. 24 against the San Antonio Spurs.
The Mavs and the rest of the league have unveiled the full-season schedule Thursday afternoon.
The Mavericks only received one national spotlight game in the NBA's marquee rollout this week: a President's Day (Feb. 15) matchup in Dallas against the Philadelphia 76ers, who are now led by free-agent signing LeBron James.
But in total, the Mavs received more acclaim in the form of 21 nationally-televised games. Dallas is one of 12 teams with at least that many games airing to national audiences.
Mavericks National TV Broadcasts:
NBC (7): Nov. 24 at Denver, Dec. 22 at Golden State, Dec. 29 vs. Miami, Jan. 19 vs. Charlotte, Feb. 9 vs. San Antonio, Feb. 15 vs. Philadelphia, March 21 at LA Lakers
ESPN (6): Oct. 28 vs. Oklahoma City, Nov. 4 at San Antonio, Nov. 18 vs. Golden State, Jan. 8 vs. Phoenix, March 17 at Oklahoma City, March 31 vs. Denver
Prime Video (4): Feb. 4 at Denver, Feb. 13 at Charlotte, Feb. 25 at Golden State, March 4 vs. New York
Peacock (2): March 8 at Oklahoma City, March 15 vs. Atlanta
The Mavs' upcoming preseason schedule gets underway with a pair of matchups against the Houston Rockets at The Venetian Arena in Macau, China, on Oct. 9 and 11. The final two preseason games are at American Airlines Center against the New Orleans Pelicans (Oct. 14) and the Atlanta Hawks (Oct. 16).
The regular season will come to a close on April 11 in Dallas against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Dallas teetered on the brink of tanking at times under Jason Kidd a year ago, but while Flagg's brilliance returns this year, the Mavs are now led by a new cast of characters.
President of basketball operations Masai Ujiri and general manager Mike Schmitz enter their first full season in the front office after appointing college coach Dusty May to take over the Mavs roster for his debut in the NBA.
May comes off a national championship with Michigan and is tasked with managing a roster that features new and returning faces.
Star point guard Kyrie Irving and center Dereck Lively II are expected to be healthy for a return after missing nearly the entire 2025-26 season. Newcomers Santi Aldama, Marcus Sasser and Zaccharie Risacher come after a series of offseason transactions, and first-round rookies Morez Johnson Jr. and Sergio De Larrea look to carve out reliable roles as Dallas' youth investment.
DraftKings' over/under line is 34.5 wins for Dallas in 2026-27. While that number suggests a slight improvement from the previous year, the publication - rather surprisingly - picks under 34.5 (-115) as the best bet.
"The Mavericks lack reliable shot creation outside of Irving, whose age and ACL recovery create plenty of uncertainty," said analyst Eric Moody. "Flagg should improve, but the reigning Rookie of the Year still has a thin supporting cast, while first-year head coach Dusty May faces a steep learning curve. Dallas should improve on last season's 26 wins, but reaching 36 looks unlikely."
In total, the Mavericks' offseason is graded at a B- by ESPN. The No. 9 overall pick Johnson joins trade acquisitions Aldama and Risacher, along with fan-favorite P.J. Washington, to form a crowded frontcourt situation for May to figure out.
With Daniel Gafford, Lively and Moussa Cisse (whose offer sheet from the New York Knicks was matched by Dallas in free agency) holding down the middle, the clear void in the lineup is guard play behind Irving. This is where May could give Spanish rookie point guard De Larrea a big opportunity to contribute after a fine summer league showing, and Sasser will receive a chance to continue coming into his own.
While it's currently clunky on paper, Ujiri is the trusted voice in charge and has put the organization in a better position to compete than it has seen since the disastrous trade of Luka Doncic a year and a half ago.
Ujiri's "patient approach" lands Dallas at No. 23 in ESPN's first NBA power rankings.
Flagg, who turns 20 in December, takes over a roster and franchise that has reasons to believe a turnaround - albeit a slight one - is possible this season.
