Mavericks Might Have Worst Season of 21st Century

The Dallas Mavericks are struggling with a 19-35 record at the All-Star break, and the team has lost its last nine games.

With 28 games to go, the Mavericks don't have much hope to compete for the playoffs this season, as they sit seven games back of the Los Angeles Clippers for the final spot in the play-in tournament. The team has indicated that they are shooting for a high draft pick, and that could mean the team has few wins down the stretch of the season. Bleacher Report writer Grant Hughes believes the Mavericks only have seven more wins left in them in the second half of the season.

"The Mavs traded Anthony Davis for a giant nothing-burger of a return and now seem poised to do what they can to maximize their 2026 first-round pick. That's the only one they control for the rest of the decade, so it's pretty important that they use it to find another running mate for surefire superstar Cooper Flagg," Hughes wrote.

"The Mavs have the point differential of a team that should be expected to finish with a win total in the low 30s, but part of that owes to a solid 7-3 stretch in January. Dallas has no incentive to put together another run like that, and it also probably won't put any urgency into getting Kyrie Irving back on the floor this season.

"Don't be surprised if the Mavericks also throttle back on Flagg's playing time. He's in the middle of his second extended stretch playing point guard, and while he's done everything to justify the hype of his draft slot and pedigree, Dallas already knows what it has in him. There's no reason to wear him down in meaningless losses, so the Mavs will slow-play his recovery from a foot injury."