Dallas reshaped its front office, upgraded the roster and earned one of the NBA's highest offseason grades so far after a summer built around Cooper Flagg's future.
The Mavericks entered the offseason intent on reshaping nearly every part of basketball operations and the early returns are drawing national praise. Coming off a 26-win season, Dallas rebuilt its front office from the top down, hiring Masai Ujiri to lead basketball operations and Mike Schmitz as general manager.
The new regime inherited a difficult situation. The roster had cratered, draft capital was limited beyond the 2026 draft and the front office had little margin for error.
The Athletic believes Dallas made the most of those circumstances. In the outlet's offseason grades, Christian Clark gave the Mavericks one of the highest marks in the league. Dallas was one of only three teams to earn at least an A, joining the Miami Heat and the Philadelphia 76ers.
For a franchise coming off a 26-56 season, the recognition stands out.
Clark's case starts with the hires of Ujiri and Dusty May. Those were the defining moves of the offseason and Clark believes Dallas made the right choice.
"I'm optimistic about May's chances of transitioning from college to the NBA," Clark wrote.
May was one of the biggest coaching hires of the cycle. Dallas landed him to lead the second season of the Cooper Flagg era despite competition from both NBA and college programs.
The roster work followed, even with limited flexibility. Dallas turned a small collection of assets into multiple rotation pieces through a six-team trade. The Mavericks added Santi Aldama, the draft rights to EuroLeague wing Tarik Biberovic and Marcus Sasser, who shot better than 41 percent from 3-point range last season.
None of those additions qualifies as a blockbuster. Together they reflect a front office focused on value and fit.
The draft added another piece, No. 9 overall pick Morez Johnson Jr. reunited with May after their time together at Michigan.
Clark wrote, "Johnson has the chance to be a defensive monster."
Johnson projects as the physical, high-motor defender Dallas needed and May already knows how to maximize his strengths.
The biggest addition of the offseason was not a trade or a draft pick. It was Kyrie Irving's return.
Irving missed most of last season after tearing his ACL. Before the injury, he averaged more than 24 points per game while shooting nearly 50 percent from the field. His return eases the burden on Flagg and gives Dallas the second star it lacked for much of last season.
Clark identified one remaining concern.
"It would have been nice to see Dallas do more to upgrade its backcourt, but I think the Mavericks are moving in the right direction," he wrote.
That remains the biggest question entering training camp. The depth behind Irving and Sasser is still unsettled.
Even so, the overall direction is clear. Dallas started the offseason with a roster lacking depth and flexibility. It leaves with respected leadership, a stronger supporting cast and one of the NBA's highest offseason grades. The wins still have to come, but the foundation looks much stronger entering Year 2 of the Cooper Flagg era.
