{"id":713517,"date":"2026-04-18T23:03:17","date_gmt":"2026-04-18T23:03:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/713517\/"},"modified":"2026-04-18T23:03:17","modified_gmt":"2026-04-18T23:03:17","slug":"former-mavericks-gunning-for-the-larry-obrien-trophy-in-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/713517\/","title":{"rendered":"Former Mavericks Gunning For The Larry O’Brien Trophy in 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

For the second year in a row, the Dallas Mavericks are not in the playoffs. It\u2019s a shame, considering that the year before last, Dallas made the NBA finals. The events since then are a tapestry of basketball drama. Alas, we cannot change the past. Many former Dallas Mavericks are suiting up to get their hands on the Larry O\u2019Brien trophy this season. Of course, Luka Doncic\u2019s<\/a> Lakers will take on the Lakers in the first round, but the Don will find himself in street clothes after sustaining a hamstring injury<\/a> that will rule him out indefinitely. Let\u2019s take a look around the league, so we can all figure out who to root for this postseason.<\/p>\n

Former Mavericks Gunning For The Larry O\u2019Brien Trophy In 2026
\nLos Angeles Lakers<\/p>\n

Luka Doncic (2018-2025)<\/p>\n

Maxi Kleber<\/a> (2017-2025)<\/p>\n

Houston Rockets<\/p>\n

Dorian Finney-Smith<\/a> (2016-2023)<\/p>\n

Denver Nuggets<\/p>\n

Tim Hardaway Jr<\/a> (2019-2024)<\/p>\n

Tyus Jones<\/a> (2026)<\/p>\n

San Antonio Spurs<\/p>\n

Harrison Barnes<\/a> (2016-2019)<\/p>\n

New York Knicks<\/p>\n

Jalen Brunson<\/a> (2018-2022)<\/p>\n

Philadelphia 76ers<\/p>\n

Quentin Grimes<\/a> (2025)<\/p>\n

The Sentimental Picks<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a sparse selection of former Dallas Mavericks to root for this year, but a good mix of sentimental favorites. Grimes and Jones will likely not draw much enthusiasm from Dallas fans. Both players stopped by for a cup of coffee, but they are talented players regardless. Harrison Barnes really failed to leave an impact in a forgettable Mavericks tenure. Cult heroes Kleber, Finney-Smith, and Hardaway Jr. are warranted a great deal of affection from Mavs fans.<\/p>\n

Kleber, who was traded to the Lakers in a deal that also included Doncic, has seen limited playing time in LA. While his defense still holds up as above average, his once lethal 3-point shot has waned. It\u2019s unlikely he will see much playing time this postseason. DFS finds himself in a very strange, albeit very good, Houston Rockets team. Led by Kevin Durant<\/a>, Houston is expected to brush aside a Lakers team<\/a> without Doncic or fellow star Austin Reaves<\/a>. Finney-Smith will likely lack contribution to any title charge for the Rockets, but he\u2019s good for morale.<\/p>\n

The Favorites<\/p>\n

Of the aforementioned trio, Hardaway Jr. is perhaps most likely to have a meaningful contribution. THJ is the kind of role player coaches die to have. Since arriving in Denver last offseason, he has only missed two games and has averaged 13.5 points per game. Playing in an incredible offence that hosts Jamal Murray<\/a> and Nikola Jokic<\/a>, bench players must preserve momentum and remain effective pieces when minutes overlap with the Nuggets\u2019 star players. Hardaway Jr. does this brilliantly and will be an important man for one of the title favorites.<\/p>\n

Aside from Doncic, the other fumbled star in this lineup is, of course, Brunson. The new king of hoops in NYC, Brunson, has taken the bull by the horns in the Big Apple. Choosing to step outside of Doncic\u2019s shadow and become the main man for the Knicks was a phenomenal decision, and one that even the most diehard Mavs fan can\u2019t criticize. A second-round pick in 2018, Brunson has capitalized on every opportunity presented to him and will be remembered as one of his generation\u2019s premier players when it is all said and done. But it is not all said and done yet, and the Knicks look dangerous enough to put a new banner in the rafters in New York City.<\/p>\n

Featured Image: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For the second year in a row, the Dallas Mavericks are not in the playoffs. It\u2019s a shame,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":713518,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3793],"tags":[7,686,149,4057,374,2992,288,368,166,3000,6,11,4155,911,6279],"class_list":{"0":"post-713517","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-dallas-mavericks","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-dallas","10":"tag-dallas-mavericks","11":"tag-dallasmavericks","12":"tag-dorian-finney-smith","13":"tag-harrison-barnes","14":"tag-jalen-brunson","15":"tag-luka-doncic","16":"tag-mavericks","17":"tag-maxi-kleber","18":"tag-nba","19":"tag-nba-playoffs","20":"tag-quentin-grimes","21":"tag-tim-hardaway-jr","22":"tag-tyus-jones"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116428210415652863","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/713517","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=713517"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/713517\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/713518"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=713517"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=713517"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=713517"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}