West Notes: Mavericks, Anthony Davis, Warriors, Stephen Curry, Timberwolves

Mavericks

What a year in Dallas. Twelve months ago, the Mavericks had Luka Doncic, fresh off an NBA Finals run, looking like the face of the league for the next decade.

Fast forward, and Nico Harrison stunned everyone by swapping Doncic for Anthony Davis in February. Then Kyrie Irving tore his ACL.

The gut punch? Somehow, the Mavs lucked into the No. 1 pick and landed Cooper Flagg.

ESPN notes that lottery magic is the only reason Dallas didn’t tumble further down its latest list of future power rankings.

Basically, it’s a bizarre reset for the Mavericks, but when it comes to the here and now, the big key will be Davis staying on the court, Irving getting back there, and Flagg rising quickly.

As usual, the Davis part likely will be the biggest mystery.

Warriors

Golden State is leaning hard on its legends. ESPN points out that three of the Warriors’ stars — Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Jimmy Butler — are all 35 or older and tied up for just two more years.

That’s a scary long-term outlook. Still, the Warriors went 20-7 after the All-Star break and beat Houston in the first round, showing there’s some staying power left.

The big unknown is obvious, Namely, what happens when Curry’s run is over? Well, as ESPN notes, this could be the high-water mark before a steep fall.

Timberwolves

Minnesota keeps knocking on the door, back-to-back trips to the conference finals and all.

ESPN has the Timberwolves seventh in player score, thanks to Anthony Edwards and a deep roster, but the cracks are clear. Money, draft, market — they’re bottom tier in every one of those categories.

That makes it tough to add around the edges. So the pressure falls on the kids when the idea is the future.

First-rounders Rob Dillingham and Terrence Shannon Jr. have to hit, because free agency and lottery luck aren’t likely to bail the Wolves out.