Last Updated on May 5, 2026 5:31 pm by Mike Passador | Published: May 5, 2026

With some new faces in town, the Mavericks were set to compete to begin the season. Of course, things didn’t go as planned, leading to significant changes to all levels of the organization. The fans suffered through a turbulent road, but their one bright spot made it all worth it as Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg, looks to start a new era in Dallas.  We’ll take a deep dive into the storm that was the 2025-26 Dallas Mavericks, as the organization’s vision has changed from title contention to a complete rebuild.

How’d It Go?

It was interesting to see how Dallas was going to turn out at the beginning of the year. In a perfect world, a healthy Anthony Davis could’ve worked for this ball club, but that’s a big ask given his injury history. Davis went down after the first five games of the season, and the losses started to pile on. By the time Davis came back, the team was already 6-14. The damage had been done. Each loss decreased the likelihood that Kyrie Irving would return from his torn ACL, and the Mavs could not keep pace with injuries to their two stars.

Coach Jason Kidd struggled with finding consistency in the starting lineup at the center and point guard positions. Flagg often shifted into the point guard role early on to learn how to manage the pace of the game. The experiment didn’t work too well for winning in the early going, but it did help with the development of Flagg. Eventually, he was moved back to his original position to continue as a forward. Kidd never fully committed to one point guard since free-agent pickup D’Angelo Russell was awful, so it was a timeshare most of the way through, with the biggest beneficiaries being Brandon Williams and rookie Ryan Nembhard. The center position was even worse, as Dereck Lively II only survived seven games, and Daniel Gafford lived in the locker room. Between trades and two-way contracts, this roster saw significant changes as the season progressed. There was plenty of depth at forward but every other spot on the roster was thin, forcing guys into roles that might not suit them long-term. 

After moving on from Davis, the Mavericks fully committed to Flagg as the centerpiece of their organization. The tank was on, leading to a 26-56 finish. Flagg gave fans plenty to cheer for even as the losses rolled in and while Davis was traded for peanuts, the Mavs bought a little more flexibility with which to work as they try and build a winner around their new phenom. With the high chance of a top-10 pick in this year’s NBA Draft, it is good to say that the tank was pretty successful. Finding a proper teammate to pair with Flagg will help kickstart a new reign in Dallas, one that will hope to bring another championship to the city very soon.

The Mavs got another jolt at the start of May, bringing in Masai Ujiri as their new head of basketball ops. The end of his Toronto tenure wasn’t great but Ujiri has earned plenty of respect and at least gives the Mavs a single-minded vision for the future with one clear leader calling the shots.

Coaching

Jason Kidd was pretty subpar this year, but he also didn’t have much to work with. Anthony Davis barely played, giving the team a much slimmer chance of competing overall. So instead, Kidd tinkered with lineups to give Cooper Flagg a chance to develop in most positions. They tried to “compete” by adding a much-need point guard to the roster to set the table, but it didn’t patch the already-sinking ship. Kidd didn’t do a great job but he was also dealt a pretty bad hand. Most of this roster was brought in to complement Luka Doncic and a shocking pivot has left a collection of ill-fitting parts. Did Kidd get the most out of the group? It’s hard to argue that he did. Is Kidd primarily at fault that the team was bad? Hard to argue that he is.

With a 26-56 record, the Mavericks are now focused on the future. Flagg coming off of winning the ROY award is a great sign. With the tanking now complete, Kidd will now lead a new regime in Dallas as soon as next season. Kidd does seem to have Flagg’s best interest in mind and will look to find lineups that best maximize their chances of winning games. Kidd got this team to the NBA Finals two years ago, and even though the team isn’t the same, he will do his best to reach that point again.

The Players

Cooper Flagg

PF, Dallas Mavericks

ADP: 41.7/32.1 (Yahoo/ESPN) | Total Value: 33/32 (8/9-cat) | Per-Game Value: 40/42 (8/9-cat)

To think this is only the beginning of his career is mind boggling. Cooper Flagg has already shown signs of stardom on the court, becoming the youngest teenager to drop 50-plus points in a contest. A new era is here in Dallas, all starting with Flagg as the franchise player. Coach Kidd has done his best to put Flagg in different positions to help develop his game, similar to what he did during the development of Giannis Antetokounmpo. The results were phenomenal over time, leading to him winning the 2025-26 ROY over former teammate Kon Knueppel.  Flagg should not be Dallas’ primary ball-handler but the fact that he got those reps and didn’t drown in them is an exciting prospect for the future.

Already with a top-50 per-game finish under his belt, there is still more room to grow his game. Finishing as a top-20 player over the last month of the regular season, Flagg averaged 24.1 PTS, 6.6 REB, 5.4 AST, 1.3 STL, 1.1 BLK and 1.0 3PT on 46.3% FG and 88.2% FT. There is a world in which he will be a top-12 player one day, but that might not be next year. Flagg is going to be a hot commodity overall and will most likely be gone within the top-30 picks, leading to a bit of a power creep if it goes too high. If you can find the sweet spot with Flagg and get him around the end of the second round, you might just get a steal in the making. The sky is the limit for Flagg, and if he finds a way to sharpen his 3PT%, we’re going to have a monster on our hands.

P.J. Washington

PF, Dallas Mavericks

ADP:133.7/138.5 (Yahoo/ESPN) | Total Value: 158/165 (8/9-cat) | Per-Game Value: 138/143 (8/9-cat)

PJ Washington kept his current role in Dallas and was pretty consistent compared to last season’s campaign. With Washington under contract for a while, he looks to be a part of the future in Dallas. Do-it-all wings are quite valuable in the NBA, so it’s understandable why he is still there. Availability is starting to become a problem for him, as he failed to reach 60 games two years in a row, though he probably would’ve played more games late in the season if the Mavs had meaningful contests. It’s never just because of one injury, either. That is something worth considering when looking to draft Washington next season. 

One thing is for certain; Washington continues to be one of the more polarizing players in fantasy basketball. He has the ability to stuff the sheet like none other, but it will come at the cost of your shooting percentages. This makes him extremely build-dependent since he can end up doing more damage than good. This also makes his value fluctuate in drafts. Acquiring Washington in the top-120 makes sense if you have the proper build. If you are aiming to keep the percentages efficient, it might be best to skip over Washington next season in general.

Daniel Gafford

C, Dallas Mavericks

ADP: 137.9/127.0 (Yahoo/ESPN) | Total Value: 175/150 (8/9-cat) | Per-Game Value: 159/139 (8/9-cat)

Daniel Gafford’s whirlwind of a season featured with a multitude of problems. Infamous for his locker room trips during games, he notched only 55 games total this year. On top of that, there was a significant drop in production across the board. To be fair, the change in ball handlers makes a huge difference for a big that needs to be set up, but the defensive side of his game suffered as well. The decrease in blocks rate, lower FG% and PTS coupled with the missed games made Gafford a bit of a gamble in 12-team leagues. If you were able to squeeze a good stretch from him, you did so at the flip of a coin.

Luckily, Gafford was mostly drafted in the latter rounds this year, and for good reason. It is a bit disappointing that he wasn’t able to take better advantage of Dereck Lively II (foot) going down, but he was at least serviceable as a back-end center. The fact that the Mavs were set to tank pretty early into the season also meant that the team never pushed him to big minutes, limiting his upside despite solid per-minute numbers as usual. To get the best value out of Gafford next year, fantasy managers will have to see if Dallas finds a true point guard to help feed him. It also will depend on the availability of Lively, too. You might be able to wait until the 150s to grab Gafford and still be okay.

Dereck Lively II

C, Dallas Mavericks

ADP: 105.5/136.2 (Yahoo/ESPN) | Total Value: 467/462 (8/9-cat) | Per-Game Value: 196/210 (8/9-cat)

Dereck Lively II has not been able to fend off the countless injuries that have plagued his career. The games played each year continues to drop significantly, making many start to wonder if his career is heading in the wrong direction. The right foot has become a problem, and big men often struggle more with getting this type of injury healthy.  

There are some pros and cons to this for Lively II. It’s a good thing he’s only 22 years old, so there’s still time to develop and get healthy. The bad thing is that he’s only played 98 out of a possible 246 outings. The Mavericks can afford to be patient through his rookie contract next season, but Lively II will have to start trending in the right direction very quickly. As for fantasy, drafting Lively II will depend on his availability. At worst, taking a flier on Lively II towards the end of the draft allows for a low-risk, high-reward outcome. It was bust this year around, but players can get healthy at any moment.

Naji Marshall

SF, Dallas Mavericks

This is just a sneak peek of the Season Wrap. The entire roster is covered, as well as the Fantasy Star, Letdown, One to Watch and One Burning Question for this team. You’ll need to have an Ethos 360, All-Sport or NBA FantasyPass membership. Click here to learn more and sign up! Premium Access Required

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Timothy Woodson

Tim has been with the SportEthos team for one year. Residing in California, he graduated from the University of Southern California and fell in love with the weather during the process. A gym addict and competitor in both fighting games and fantasy basketball, Tim spends his time developing his craft and enjoying a nice chocolate chip cookie here and there.

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