Charles Barkley said a team that didn’t make it to the playoffs last season can be the second-best team in the Western Conference this year.
NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley is bullish on one team that endured one of the most disappointing seasons of all time. So much so that he thinks that they can make a run in one of the toughest conferences in NBA history.
The reigning NBA champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder, will be back and as strong as ever. Meanwhile, the Houston Rockets traded for Kevin Durant. But Barkley believes that an underdog story will rise to the top of the West and challenge for the one seed.
Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty ImagesCharles Barkley said the Dallas Mavericks could be the second-best team in the Western Conference next season
Dallas Mavericks fans have been on a rollercoaster ride in the last six months. Dallas traded away Luka Doncic to the LA Lakers in perhaps the most shocking move in NBA history. Fans revolted, calling for the firing of General Manager Nico Harrison all over the city.
They proceeded to miss the playoffs, getting blown out 97-132 to the Memphis Grizzlies in a play-in game to end their season. In one of the biggest strokes of luck in NBA history, the Mavericks won the draft lottery and the number one pick of the NBA Draft.
Generational talent Cooper Flagg fell into their laps. He joins Anthony Davis, who the Mavs acquired in the Doncic trade, and Kyrie Irving, who is currently injured with an ACL tear, to form a big three in Dallas.
Barkley believes that drafting Flagg means the Mavericks are a contender in the West. He said during an interview with BetMGM Network, “Let me tell you this, that Dallas Mavericks team, they might be the second-best team in the West if they could ever get healthy.
“Obviously, Kyrie is going to come back mid-season, but if AD can get healthy, and that boy Cooper Flagg, he’s the real deal.”
Dallas Mavericks have a narrow window for the NBA championship after giving away draft picks
For the Mavericks’ sake, Barkley better be right. They have put themselves in a position where they need to run the gauntlet in the Western Conference and win the championship now.
Davis’ injury history has ruled him out for large portions of seasons. In fact, the only time he was consistently healthy was during the 2020 championship season with the Lakers. He was even hurt on the back end of last year for the Mavericks.
Irving and Davis are both 32. This is the back end of their prime for both players, and it’s likely the most talent the Mavericks will have on their roster for a number of years.
While they were trying to compete for a title with Doncic, the Mavericks gave up almost all of their draft assets. That worked perfectly at the time, as Doncic led them to the 2024 NBA finals against the Boston Celtics. But now they’re on a different timeline.
The Mavericks made big swings in an attempt to win a title with Doncic. They traded first-round picks for Irving and Kristaps Porzingis. They don’t have an unprotected pick until 2029, which is the Lakers. If Doncic succeeds in LA, that won’t be a lottery pick.
Flagg will not have the luxury of being joined by young talent throughout his NBA career. At least not until 2030. So he’s going to have to hit the ground running with Davis and Irving in what could be his best chance to win a title for a half decade.