Our next roundtable was easy: Predict the Dallas Mavericks record and seed, and then explain yourself!
Joe: Looks like I get to go first! My prediction for the Mavs is to finish as the 9 seed, winning the 9/10 play-in as the 10 seed, and losing the win-and-in game for the 8 seed. My reason is simple: Cooper Flagg. I wrote about this back in August, but I simply don’t think anyone, including the Mavericks and us, are ready to win, but Cooper is going to be. He’s going to take a leap, the type that
generational players take in year 2. Think LeBron. Think Kobe. Think Luka. He’s that good, and the wins will follow with it. Regardless if you think Kyrie, PJ, Naji, or anyone else is gonna be on this team in April, he will, and that’s why regardless of other injuries, transactions, and any other crap that plagues this team this year, Cooper is going to keep them in it till April.
Matt M.: The Mavs will finish 38-44, 10th in the West, I believe. They will give the 7-seed everything they bargained for and more in the play-in before bowing out. There will be moments this bunch looks playoff-ready, but there will be a few more where Cooper Flagg is forced to drag this roster along as he takes a superstar step forward in year two. Dusty May will let Flagg and Kyrie Irving freelance, and it’ll be sad to see Irving go at the trade deadline. Many will wring their hands over what could have been at the end of the season, but it will have been for the best. Sound decision-making with the future in mind doesn’t always feel good right now, but when the dust settles, we will be left to wonder if this team is “ahead of schedule.”
Michael: I believe I’m required to predict the Mavericks go 0-82. Given my optimistic record predictions of the past two seasons (which were well better than reality), I’m convinced that saying “0-82” ensures we’ll end up being a solid 50-win playoff team. Self-inflicted cynicism aside, I’ll go with 44 wins and the #9 seed. 44 wins is a massive leap up from last season’s 26 wins, and in and of itself would be a huge celebration-worthy accomplishment. Do I not so secretly think I’m being ambitious with that win total? Yes. It’s going to be very difficult to make a jump like that, even with the return of Kyrie Irving. The team has a rookie head coach with zero NBA experience, is starting with injuries to a couple of key rotation pieces (Dereck Lively and Santi Aldama), Irving is going to get rest days, and the best player on the team is still not old enough to purchase alcohol. That all said, I’ll stick with my optimistic approach. The team has a lot of talent and one of the best young players in the game. It’s really a matter of how quickly they can gel and whether a surprise player can add an unanticipated dimension to the team. Hope to see you all in the Play In!
Sudarshan: 30-52. 11th/12th seed
A step forward from Cooper Flagg and Kyrie’s return should see some improvement in the team’s overall play, but this is still Year 1 of the reset with Dusty May in charge. The roster is still a complete mish-mash of pieces that don’t necessarily fit together, with way too many forwards and not enough creation. Morez and Larry were drafted to be key rotation pieces and building blocks for the future, but will go through the usual Year 1 growing pains. Dallas will definitely be more enjoyable to watch overall, but the improvement in their record might only be marginal, considering a stacked Western Conference.
Salvador: I’m going to go 36-46 and the 10th seed. Cooper Flagg looks like he might be a borderline All-NBA player this year, and Kyrie looks like he hasn’t lost a step. Even with the growing pains of the roster, I imagine they’ll start to get more chemistry as the year progresses. Also with the amount of young talent on the roster I think they will also improve as the year progresses and they get more reps.
David: Fine. I am gonna do it. The Mavericks will finish 43-39, make the playoffs as the 8 seed, and knock out the Thunder in the first round. Kidding, kidding. They will be the 1 seed. In all seriousness, I will predict them to actually finish 43-39 and make the playoffs as the 8 seed. They will not win a first-round series, but I think one or two moves off of a forward and into a guard could make this team very interesting. Cooper Flagg will be too good to lose 40 times in one season again.
Bryan: The Dallas Mavericks are going to finish with a 40-42 record as the 9th seed in the Western Conference play-in. Kyrie Irving is here to dive headfirst into the Grand Canyon-sized void of ball-handling and playmaking and fill as much as he can. Marcus Sasser will help off the bench in that regard, and Cooper Flagg is a much improved ball-handler and shot creator from his rookie season. These improvements, coupled with a more optimized, team-wide shot diet via Dusty May, are enough to facilitate a 10+ win increase from last year with what is essentially 70% the same roster. The reason I have them at 40 wins and not closer to 45 is because there will be an “evaluation period” during the first month or two of the season where Dusty and the front office will be testing players to see who fits the vision going forward. They are going to drop an uncomfortable number of games that they shouldn’t during this span, but when the roster tweaks and trades begin, the results will reflect the improved process.
Jack N.: My prediction for the Dallas Mavericks this season is 33-49. I know this feels low. The Mavericks made ample changes to their roster this season, not to mention getting a healthy Kyrie Irving back in the lineup. I do think the Mavericks will be a better team than last season, while being infinitely more fun to watch; however, I still think this team is a year away from playoff dreams. Outside of Flagg and Iriving, there is very little ball-handling on the roster. The back end of the roster has improved offensively, but the top of the roster still can’t shoot. Not only that, but the defense is very concerning without Dereck Lively (who won’t be available until December at the earliest). The NBA is also much better than last year. 14 out of the 15 teams in the Western Conference are trying to win games this season, with a mediocre 2027 draft class not enticing teams to tank. The Mavericks will likely make trades to offload veterans at the deadline, and could look to trade Irving if the season isn’t going great. 33 wins would be disappointing, but it would be a 7-win improvement over last season. The Mavericks need to take a step forward, but they won’t leap until more sweeping roster changes are made.
Tyler: I think Sudarshan and I are, by far, the lowest on this team on site. I think these Mavericks are improved off of last year’s 26-win campaign, but not by as much as FanDuel or many of my fellow contributors here. Cooper Flagg is absolutely that guy, but look around at the rest of this roster. Yes, Kyrie is back, but for how long? The trade winds will only pick up if the team gets off to a slow start. The rest of the group remains ill-fitting, as it’s Nico ball with better public relations packaging. To top it all off, Dusty May is in his first year in the NBA. While I believe in him and think the future is bright, there’s a learning curve there. I think this is a 30-52 ball club and a distant 12th seed in the West.
Kirk: I think the start of the season is going to be very bad and then the guys will figure this out and start winning by December. Give me a 38-44 record and a 9th place finish in the West!
