Dallas Mavericks face ‘major challenges’ with Cooper Flagg, it’s because of Luka Doncic 

Dallas Mavericks face ‘major challenges’ building around Cooper Flagg

Dallas is now on two timelines. When they traded Doncic for Davis, they declared that they are in a win-now window over the next few seasons. That clearly changed when Flagg fell in their laps. But they still need to make the most of what’s left of Davis’ prime. 

At some point, they need to transition to the Flagg era, however. And NBA reporter Tim MacMahon said the Mavericks are not in a good position to make that transition. 

He explained, “There’s going to be major challenges building long-term around [Flagg], because of the picks and swap they gave up to successfully build a contender around Luka.”

The Mavericks made big swings in an attempt to win a title with Doncic. They traded first-round picks for Irving and Kristaps Porzingis, who made sense at the time for Doncic’s timeline, but now they have an 18-year-old star and no draft picks moving forward.

That means they’ll have difficulty adding youth around Flagg organically.

MacMahon continued, “Typically, you get a generational talent overall, and there’s going to be a couple more cracks at the early lottery… There’s not going to be a lot of young talent added to the mix as Cooper Flagg is getting into his early 20s.”

They have Dereck Lively, who is 21, and Max Christie, who is 22. Beyond that, they don’t have an unprotected pick until 2029, which is the Lakers. If Doncic succeeds in LA, that won’t be a lottery pick.

The ghost of Doncic is still haunting the Mavericks as they look to recoup the draft capital they gave away in order to win with him.

Dallas Mavericks can’t compete in the West this season

While on the surface, the Mavericks are on two timelines, realistically, they’re on one. The Western Conference is stacked and it’s only getting more competitive.

Their former star, Doncic, is in great shape after re-signing with the Lakers. He and LeBron James will be contenders for the Oklahoma City Thunder’s title. The Thunder are running it back with their young core, meanwhile, the Denver Nuggets have made significant improvements.

The Houston Rockets traded for Kevin Durant in the hopes of kicking on from last season. They were the two-seed in the West. Meanwhile, the Minnesota Timberwolves made the Conference Finals two years running, and they’re going nowhere.

The Mavericks aren’t even a lock to have the brightest future in the West. The San Antonio Spurs have a generational talent in Victor Wembanyama. They also drafted Dylan Harper at number two to play alongside the Rookie of the Year, Stephon Castle. 

The West is too competitive for the Mavericks to make the finals, so the next few seasons should be dedicated to making the most of Flagg’s early development.