The Dallas Mavericks have fallen far in quick order thanks to one of the biggest unforced errors in the history of the NBA. It also seems unlikely that the team have learned from their mistakes. There's a real chance that they will trade their young superstar, Cooper Flagg, making their problems even worse.
Former Mavericks' owner Mark Cuban regrets selling his NBA franchise to the Adelson and Dumont families. Considering how things have gone, it's easy to understand why. All you have to do is look at the fallout from their disastrous Luka Doncic trade to see exactly how far they've fallen.
Since sending Doncic to the Lakers, the Mavericks have gone from the NBA Finals to completely missing the NBA Playoffs in well under two years. On top of that, they have already traded away their main compensation for Doncic, the perpetually injured All-Star center, Anthony Davis.
It also hasn't helped that Dallas lost a significant portion of their team to long-term injuries throughout 2025 and 2026. That includes Kyrie Irving, who sustained a serious injury late in the 2024-2025 season and then missed the entirety of this season because of it.
This Flagg won't fly in Dallas for long
At this point, the Mavs' main source of pretty much everything is Flagg. Dallas was incredibly lucky in the 2025 NBA Draft and got to choose first, selecting the number one player that year. While he has played almost unbelievably well, it's safe to say that the rest of the team around him has not.
If Dallas manages to select well again in 2026, they might be able to get something going around Flagg. The reality is that they need to make a large number of trades and moves around him to even find a path to being contenders. The current ownership is not up to that task.
Honestly, there's a very real chance that they will trade Flagg for picks, players, or both before building around him. Currently, he's finishing up the first year of a four-year contract that has two team options. The Mavs might decide to trade him soon while he's still strong trade capital.
Dallas's current ownership has already proven that they don't have the head for basketball and are willing to make some very bad decisions. The Mavs need Flagg, but no one would be shocked to see them trade him for something or someone who simply won't match up. Maybe they'll get Davis back.