Are 'Fascinating' Mavs NBA's Biggest Playoff Wild Card This Season?

DALLAS - Nobody knows what the Mavericks are going to be this season. That has been the running theme of the entire offseason and SLAM Magazine just gave it the clearest articulation yet.

"The Dallas Mavericks are arguably the most fascinating team to follow entering this season, given the variety of outcomes that could unfold in 2026-27," the magazine wrote. "There's a legitimate scenario in which Dallas is highly competitive, but there's also a path where the season quickly shifts toward prioritizing the future."

Both directions are worth examining because the distance between them is unusually wide.

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The optimistic case starts where every conversation about this team starts. Kyrie Irving returns from a torn ACL and even coming off the injury, SLAM describes him as one of the best point guards and playmakers in the league. Pair that with Cooper Flagg building on a historic rookie season and the magazine sees a player who could enter the top 25 in his second season.

From there, it becomes a question of whether the supporting pieces cooperate. P.J. Washington, Daniel Gafford, Naji Marshall and Santi Aldama give Dallas proven veterans, while Max Christie, Marcus Sasser and Zaccharie Risacher all have breakout potential. Morez Johnson Jr. arrives as a rookie who could contribute on both ends immediately, playing for the coach who just won a national championship with him.

"If Irving returns to form, Flagg makes another leap and some of the younger pieces break out, there's an outcome where this team is legitimately good," SLAM wrote.

The other path is where things get uncomfortable.

"Dallas has a fairly new-look roster, players returning from injuries and a new coach attempting to put everything together," the magazine noted. "If the Mavericks struggle early, they'll eventually have to decide which direction makes the most sense. Selling off veteran assets could quickly transform the season into one focused on development, with younger players receiving significant minutes and wins becoming less of a priority."

That scenario has been lurking beneath every conversation about this roster since the summer began. Irving's name has generated trade speculation and a slow start would only intensify it. Gafford and Washington have come up repeatedly as well. If Dallas falls out of the race by January, the front office has plenty of veterans other teams would want.

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The 2024 experience running through parts of this roster is worth something, though. Washington, Gafford, Lively and Irving were all part of the group that reached the Finals, which means the core understands what winning basketball looks like at the highest level. That kind of institutional memory does not guarantee anything, but it separates Dallas from most teams trying to figure themselves out.

SLAM landed on the right conclusion.

"The Mavericks could emerge as one of the NBA's surprise teams, pivot toward the future or land somewhere between those two extremes," the magazine wrote. "With so many variables in play, few teams enter the 2026-27 season with more potential directions than Dallas."