Since trading Luka Doncic, the Dallas Mavericks’ title hopes haven’t been the same.
A lot of that has to do with the injuries they dealt with last season, particularly to Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis who have only played one game together. With Irving expected to be out for most of next season with an ACL tear, there remains a lot of uncertainty about the Mavs’ chances to compete for a title again this year.
Advertisement
But if the Mavericks find a way to tread water while Irving recovers, Dirk Nowitzki believes that they can win a championship. It’ll take a whole team effort, but given their talent and depth, Nowitzki thinks they can sneak their way into the top eight of the Western Conference standings.
“The main thing is, can they stay healthy for the long run? They’re as deep as any team, but the West is tough. OKC will probably be the heavy favorites again going in, but other than that, two through eight for me is wide open and they have a great shot if they stay healthy,” said Nowitzki via the “DLLS Sports” podcast.
Dallas’ biggest strength
While the Mavericks wait on Irving to get healthy, they signed D’Angelo Russell in free agency to fill the void. Russell is coming off a season where he averaged 12.9 points, 5.6 assists and 2.8 rebounds per game with the Brooklyn Nets — where he was traded to by the Los Angeles Lakers last December.
Advertisement
Prior to getting traded, Russell had already built tremendous chemistry with Davis, which could translate well on the Mavericks this season.
Another strength that Dirk believes the Mavericks have is their frontcourt rotation, which can make the case as the best in the league.
With the presence of Derreck Lively II, Daniel Gafford and rookie Cooper Flagg, AD has the luxury to slot into the power forward position where he believes he plays best. Dirk highlighted how this Mavs team has a lot of size and athleticism, which will help them to stay competitive while they wait on Irving’s return.
Advertisement
“If you look at the front court, how it’s loaded with talented players… they have two or three players at every position, especially when Kyrie comes back. I saw him on social media and he’s already getting some shots up, so you know he’s going to take care of his body and do everything he can do out there. Once he comes back and he’s the old Kyrie, that’s a heck of a team that’s super loaded.”
There’s just too much uncertainty
It’s encouraging to see Nowitzki be optimistic about the Mavericks’ chances this season however, but he’s banking on hope more than assurance. Not only is there no timetable yet for Irving‘s return but there’s no guarantee whether he will come back as the same player especially given that he’s now 33-years-old as well.
Advertisement
Besides Irving’s unpredictable return, there’s also uncertainty as to how Flagg will perform in his rookie year. He’s already been challenged by head coach Jason Kidd to get out of his comfort zone in order to prepare him to be a difference maker, but we don’t know how that’s going to work out until we see it.
There’s also concern about the team’s overall health, especially after what they went through last year. At one point last season, the Mavericks were down to just seven active players on their roster, which was the lowest in NBA history. While this can be chalked up to horrible injury luck, that doesn’t give any certainty that they’ll be significantly healthier this year.
So for as talented and deep the Mavericks look on paper, it’s difficult to consider them as championship contenders for now. But that doesn’t mean they can’t live up to Nowitzki’s confidence in them.
Advertisement
A lot of things have to fall right for the organization in order to compete for a championship next season.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Sep 5, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.