There is a frenetic anxiety mounting in the atmosphere around the Dallas Mavericks. As the league inches closer to the NBA trade deadline the unknown possibilities for the Mavericks has left fans feeling they’ve entered the final episodes in a season of Breaking Bad. It ramped up more when now-former Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young was traded to the Washington Wizards — in what seemed a first domino to the Mavericks trading Anthony Davis to the Hawks. Only for Davis to exit Thursday’s game in the final minutes
and head straight to the locker room with a new injury. An injury that could keep him out longterm and remove immediate chances at a deal.
That’s all separate from the X’s and O’s and game results, which have dipped back down save for a few wins against quality opponents. The organization is at a crossroads. Any thoughts of “waiting to see” what develops with the current roster need to be squashed. Action to build anew must happen now. That’s the truth lying just below the surface of this week’s Power Rankings Watch.
ESPN
Rank: 23
Last week: 24
Anthony Davis watch will dominate discussions about the Mavericks until the trade deadline. He’d be happy to stay in Dallas if he gets a contract extension this summer, but it’s a stretch to say that would be a logical decision for the Mavs as they built around teenage prodigy Cooper Flagg. Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, who represents Davis, will play a significant role in the search for a trade partner willing to make that kind of commitment to the 10-time All-Star this offseason. — MacMahon
The Athletic
Rank: 23 (Tier 4: Not the Tier to Fear)
Last week: 26
2026 resolution: Maximize Cooper Flagg
Head coach Jason Kidd said that Cooper Flagg has to touch, rub and hold the rookie wall. I’m surprised Kidd didn’t say that Flagg will need to ride the snake to get through the rookie wall as well. Certainly, he’ll be headed for that method with Flagg starting at point guard once again, though Dallas was able to survive a rough Flagg scoring game against the Rockets and get its first win in five games.
NBA
Rank: 25
Last week: 26
Anthony Davis missed only two games with his latest injury, played 76 total minutes over his first two games back, and led the Mavs (with 26 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks) to a win over the Rockets on Saturday.
Three takeaways
- The win on Saturday ended a four-game losing streak and was the Rockets’ worst offensive game of the season (104 points on 101 possessions). The five games prior were the Mavs’ worst stretch of defense (120.3 points allowed per 100), but they still rank in the top 10 on that end of the floor, having seen the league’s sixth biggest improvement from last season. Of course, a lot of that improvement is from the league’s second-biggest drop in opponent 3-point percentage, and time will tell if it sustains.
- The Mavs beat the Rockets despite shooting just 3-for-10 from mid-range and making only eight 3-pointers themselves. They have the league’s second-biggest differential between their field goal percentage in the paint (57.5%, 16th) and their effective field goal percentage on shots from outside the paint (48.2%, 29th). Naji Marshall, Brandon Williams, Davis and Cooper Flagg have the fifth, sixth, 10th and 12th biggest differentials, respectively, among 175 players with at least 75 shots in the paint and at least 75 shots outside.
- The Mavs erased a 17-point deficit in Portland last Monday and had a wide-open 3-pointer for the lead with seven seconds left, but Marshall missed that shot and they lost what could have been a huge game regarding the Western Conference Play-In picture. They’ve now lost their last seven road games, with four of those seven losses having come to other teams in the bottom seven in the West.
Coming up: Overall, the Mavs are just 3-8 (only the Kings have been worse) in games played between the seven West teams with losing records. The three-game trip that begins Tuesday includes games in Sacramento and Utah.
Bleacher Report
Rank: 25
Last week: 22
It’s time for the Dallas Mavericks to surrender their pursuit of a play-in spot (assuming they haven’t done it already).
Trade Anthony Davis, enjoy the big Cooper Flagg nights (like Thursday, when he had 26 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists in a loss to the Utah Jazz) and chase better lottery odds.
There’s some value in playing high-leverage games early in your career, but the play-in would likely give Dallas just one or two of those. And that doesn’t come close to measuring up to the potential of a Flagg pairing with one of the top prospects in this upcoming draft.
