Mavericks' Cooper Flagg era is starting darker than anyone could've expected

Through 24 games, it's clear that the Dallas Mavericks aren't good enough to contend for a title this season with all things considered. There is still a portion of the fanbase that wants to see how Dallas fares once Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis finally get to play together before coming to a conclusion about their fate, but tanking truly may be the best option.

The Mavericks don't have full control of any of their first-round picks until 2031 after this year, and they can't afford to miss out on a high-impact player in next summer's draft. Winning the draft lottery and selecting Cooper Flagg saved the Mavericks from having an extremely grim future, and they're in another tough spot for the rest of this year.

On one hand, they can push as hard as they can to try to secure a playoff spot. It would be an uphill battle, as escaping the Play-In Tournament would not be an easy task, but it's doable. On the other hand, they could make some massive trades in favor of the future before the February 5 trade deadline, including moving on from Anthony Davis, with the hopes that they can acquire some draft capital and young players to assist their rebuild.

The Mavericks' rebuild conversations can't wait any longer

Trading Davis and other veteran pieces in exchange for draft capital, young players, and expiring contracts won't guarantee that the Mavs will plummet down the standings to receive favorable lottery odds, but it will definitely mean that they've accepted their fate.

They don't have the pieces to make a deep playoff run, regardless of the fact that we don't know how this team will look once Irving is back in the lineup.

And the Oklahoma City Thunder, one of their biggest rivals, just proved it.

Dallas was handed a 132-111 loss at the hands of the Thunder on Friday night, and even Loki couldn't tame the Thunder in Oklahoma City. Even though Dallas was without Irving, Dereck Lively II, Daniel Gafford, and P.J. Washington in this game, it's clear that Oklahoma City will likely run the table in the Western Conference again. And there's nothing that anyone across the league can do to stop it.

Let alone the Mavericks.

The Thunder's defense is incredibly dangerous, and combining this with the fact that they're on pace to win 78 games, it's obvious why they're heavy title favorites once again.

Even if Dallas went on a wild end-of-season run and secured a playoff spot, there would be no guarantee that they would escape the first round. Teams like the Thunder, Houston Rockets, and Denver Nuggets will be waiting on the teams that sneak out of the Play-In Tournament, and it's likely not going to be pretty for whoever they play.

The Mavericks don't have the shot creation or 3-point shooting to heat up enough to emerge as real title contenders, and the magic that the city of Dallas witnessed in the winter and spring of 2024, when the team turned its season around and made the NBA Finals, has run out.

The reward of selling off parts and going all-in on a rebuild for next season outweighs the slim possibility of somehow winning a playoff series. Gaining some playoff experience with Flagg and Irving at the head of the snake would be beneficial, but not as helpful as landing Flagg a real young co-star to play with for years to come.

There are no guarantees when it comes to the draft lottery and the NBA Draft these days, but Dallas badly needs to hit on their 2026 draft pick. They traded away multiple future picks and pick swaps to build around Luka Doncic, and every move that they make moving forward has the chance to pull them out of this hole if they play their cards right.

The Mavericks aren't close to being in the same tier as the Thunder right now, and embracing a real rebuild this season around Cooper Flagg will at least help them take a step in the right direction in that department.