The Dallas Mavericks entered the season with far-fetched title hopes and much more realistic post-season expectations. After all, they boasted veterans Anthony Davis and Klay Thompson, and would get Kyrie Irving back at some point, they thought.
On top of that, Cooper Flagg had arrived and was surrounded by quality role players like PJ Washington, Naji Marshall, and Daniel Gafford.
Nico Harrison insisted that the Mavericks had an open title window. Perhaps that was just to save face, but the messaging was clear: Dallas would try to win games.
Now at 21-43 and in 12th place, even making the play-in tournament is becoming an impossibility, and the Mavericks have fully embraced a tank.
Jason Kidd Explains How Losing Wears on Mavs
Unlike teams like the Utah Jazz, Washington Wizards, and Indiana Pacers, the Mavericks are not holding their best players off the court. Instead, they simply aren't very good and will land a top pick in the 2026 draft in an "ethical" way.
The Mavericks, for the most part, are tanking "organically," as our very own Mike Fisher claimed:
While the long-term benefit of adding another key young player next to Flagg is clear, winning isn't fun, and the team is struggling to stay together.
"I think you can never move quickly enough from one of these," said Jason Kidd after the most recent loss. "I think just talking to the team about certain things that we have to get better at, and that's just the talk and staying together."
Dallas seems committed to putting Flagg in situations where he can widen his skillset, and just because the team is mostly checked out doesn't mean the learning and growing won't continue.
"We got to look at some different combinations here as we go forward, maybe looking at the starting group, maybe different combinations there," he added.
Is the long-term ploy worth it? Almost certainly, and after trading away Davis and shutting down Irving for the season, the Mavericks don't really have a choice. However, as losses pile up and the team is reminded of the preseason hype, morale is at an all-time low.
They wouldn't admit it, but the offseason can't come soon enough.