Former NBA All-Star guard forecasts another Mavericks downfall

Noah Weber

Dallas Mavericks v Golden State Warriors - Game One / Harry How/GettyImages

The Dallas Mavericks had an unexpected series of events over the final two months of last season.

Dallas traded for Kyrie Irving at the deadline, a move that not many expected, and then struggled to piece together wins down the stretch and ended up missing the playoffs.

Missing the playoffs was the last thing that Mavs fans expected after Dallas traded for Irving, but things didn't go as planned.

Former NBA All-Star guard forecasts another Mavericks downfall

Both Luka Doncic and Irving missed games during the time they were together, and they went 5-11 in games they both played in. The on-court fit took some time, and there were some struggles down the stretch.

To prevent what happened last year from happening again, Dallas made some big moves this offseason to strengthen the roster. They drafted Dereck Lively II and Olivier-Maxence Prosper, acquired Grant Williams through a sign and trade, and signed Seth Curry.

Dallas' defense should take a step in the right direction this season, but even after all of the Mavericks' offseason moves it seems that most people from around the NBA are doubting Dallas' ability to return to the playoffs.

In a recent episode of his podcast "Gil's Arena," former NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas dished on how he thought Dallas would do this season.

"Whatever they did last year they're going to do this year," Arenas said.

Arenas clearly doubts that Dallas will seriously improve this season and that they'll miss the playoffs for the second straight season. This would be the first time that Dallas missed the playoffs for two consecutive years during Doncic's career, and missing the playoffs could be bad news for Doncic's future in Dallas.

Although Doncic shut down these rumors, there were some flurries last season that Luka could request a trade if Dallas didn't make big improvements this season. Dallas only has two guaranteed seasons of the Luka and Kyrie pairing, and if they don't contend, this project could be over before it even gets started.

Although Arenas didn't make many points to support his argument, the national doubt of the Mavericks is becoming more common as the season approaches. It seems that most of the media is predicting another disappointing season for Dallas, but only time will tell what this team will do.

Will Gilbert Arenas' prediction come true, or will Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving take Dallas back to the playoffs?

Noah Weber

Noah Weber is the Site Expert for The Smoking Cuban, covering the Dallas Mavericks as a credentialed media member since the 2022-23 season. With a Bachelor of Science in Sports Media from Oklahoma State University, Noah has worked in sports journalism since 2019. While he's covered the Dallas Cowboys and Oklahoma State Cowboys, he has now established himself as a go-to voice for Mavericks coverage. Noah's expertise includes in-depth game analysis, social media content creation, and offering unique perspectives through his reporting. His work has been featured on major platforms such as ESPN, Bleacher Report, and Overtime. During his time at Oklahoma State, Noah won first place in the Oklahoma Broadcast Education Association Awards for a show he co-produced. Outside of covering the Mavs, Noah enjoys working out, playing basketball and Spikeball, and spending quality time with friends and family.