Five things that should give Mavericks fans hope as 2026-27 approaches

“It’s the hope that kills you.”

It’s a line from the TV show Ted Lasso, of course. And whether you’re a Dallas Mavericks fan, or an FC Richmond fan, you understand.

The Dallas Mavericks were in the Finals just 838 days ago. That season was full of the kind of playoff moments you tell your grandchildren about.

Will you tell your grandchildren about the time Luka Dončić absolutely cooked Rudy Gobert on an isolation 3 to win a playoff game? I will.

Then the Celtics came along and made the Mavs look a little

like Rudy Gobert trying to guard on the perimeter.

As a fan, you were likely devastated by the Luka trade. Then Anthony Davis gave two quarters of perfection, and suddenly hope was putting on a Beyoncé concert at the American Airlines Center.

And then… many fans expanded their sports-injury vocabulary.

Next, just when all hope felt lost, the Mavs, with a 1.8 percent chance, won the NBA lottery with a generational stud at the top of the class. Cooper Flagg arrived on a team that, at least in theory, was supposed to be competing for a playoff spot. Hope is all fans had last year — and all Nico Harrison had in his roster construction. It didn’t take long for the positivity to turn to complete darkness. Anthony Davis couldn’t stay healthy, there was continuous turmoil that led to Nico finally getting fired and there were casualties all around.

Now, a new regime has come into power. The Mavs certainly have some new energy. There’s a generational prospect entering his second season with an extra inch at his disposal. And, despite everything fans have been through, that dangerous little feeling is starting to creep back in.

Hope.

Are you ready to buy in again? Because there’s something else we learned from Ted Lasso: It’s not actually the hope that kills you. It’s the lack of hope. However, maybe Mavs fans should reconsider what they’re hoping for.

This is not the year to hope for the Larry O’Brien Trophy — or the NBA Cup — for that matter. That’s not what this season is about. The Mavs are building. The team’s average age is under 25, and there are plenty of players who are still figuring out exactly what they can become. This can be a fun team without being a contender. Maybe it’s about finding reasons to believe that the next great Mavericks team is taking shape right in front of us.

Here are five things that can provide real hope this year, with a meter to show how logical this hope is:

Let’s start with the obvious one.

Cooper Flagg takes a massive leap

Hope Meter:🔥🔥🔥🔥 4/5

Cooper Flagg is a Dallas Mav.

And for a franchise that has spent the last few years making many question the basketball gods, that feels like a pretty good place to start.

Fans get to watch this 19-year-old with extraordinary expectations figure out what kind of NBA player he’s going to become. Now, can he make that second -year jump?

For this hope to become reality, Cooper Flagg needs to, become an above-average 3-point shooter, assert himself as floor general at times and be transcendent at defense.

Kyrie provides nightly highlights

Hope Meter: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥5/5

Let’s not overlook the impact of having a healthy Irving back. This offseason, Masai Ujiri quoted Kevin Durant in says “there’s only one Kyrie Irving walking around in the world.”

That one Kyrie Irving bleeds blue these days, and provides electric energy that all basketball fans know too well.
Even in losses, fans get to see Irving hitting transition 3-pointers, making sick left-handed hook shots at the buzzer, and cooking younger NBA stars that think they can come at the King of Handles. If Irving is the Irving that Mavs fans have come to know and love, then the games are must-watch — win or lose.

Young pieces become a young core

HOPE METER: 🔥🔥🔥 3/5

The Mavs took some swings on reclamation projects this off-season — and it’s not likely all the swings connect, but if a few do, the Mavs could have a real core.

The core candidates are Zaccharie Risacher, Max Christie, Morez Johnson Jr., Sergio de Larrea, Tarik Biberović, and Marcus Sasser. Maybe a couple of them take a massive leap. Maybe someone surprises us (Jett Howard). Maybe someone we thought would be important turns out not to be part of the long-term picture.

That’s the fun of a building season. Every game and gives us a little more information, and deeper into the season, there could be some real answers here — or more questions.

Dereck Lively II becomes a healthy top 100 NBA player

Hope Meter: 🔥🔥🔥 3/5

Ooooh, this is a dangerous one. And yes, the hope is still high, but don’t get too close to the fire, you might get burned. Fans will always remember who Dereck Lively II was in the finals run, with Lively’s big hair flopping around, creating chaos, grabbing boards and being a master facilitator.

Fans thought the Mavs finally had their forever center, but injury after injury has taken that away. This is a contract year, and it would be hard to question Lively’s dedication and work ethic.

The future is taking shape

Hope Meter: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 5/5

Maybe this is the biggest reason to be hopeful. The Mavericks don’t have to win the championship this year.

They don’t even have to convince that they’re one piece away from winning anything. nThis season can simply be about finding out what they have. What does Flagg become? Who fits alongside him? What does this coaching staff bring out in the roster?

Those questions are worth the hope they bring. It turns out it’s not the hope that kills you. It’s living for too long without any. And maybe this season, it’s about what you hope for.