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The Dallas Mavericks finished 39-43 and 10th in the Western Conference last season, missing the playoffs in a year that featured one of the biggest trades in NBA history; franchise cornerstone Luka Doncic, forward Maxi Kleber and veteran Markieff Morris were dealt to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for All-Star Anthony Davis, guard Max Christie and a 2029 first-round draft pick. Now, less than a year later, one of the biggest figures in sports media has picked them to go to the NBA Finals. "If Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis are healthy, if the Dallas Mavericks are healthy for the postseason, I'm picking the Dallas Mavericks to go to the Finals," ESPN's Stephen A. Smith said on Tuesday's episode of "First Take." "Again, that's a big if in terms of health to a Kyrie... Obviously, health to Anthony Davis. That's asking a lot," Smith added. "But in the end, I'm telling you right now, when you think about Oklahoma City, their kryptonite has been the Dallas Mavericks. No matter what they've done against everybody else, with or without Luka, whenever they go against Dallas, it's problematic." "Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis on the court with Gafford, with Lively, with P.J. Washington and those boys, with Jason Kidd coaching them, I believe that the Dallas Mavericks could come out of the West and go to the NBA Finals." Read More: Lakers Make Final Decision on Former First-Round Pick Before NBA Season Dallas entered the summer intent on retooling around its newly acquired veteran pieces and top draft capital, using the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft to select Duke sensation Cooper Flagg. The team also went ahead and re-signed cornerstone backcourt pieces, including Irving, while adding secondary playmaking, like D'Angelo Russell, to hold over until Irving gets healthy. Irving tore his ACL in March and is expected to miss the majority of the 2025-26 NBA season. The organization also prioritized continuity on the front-line by re-signing center Daniel Gafford and extending forward P.J. Washington, while retaining defensive glue in Danta Exum and other key pieces like Klay Thompson, Dereck Lively II and Caleb Martin. With the arrival of Flagg, the depth and continuity of their rotation and the elite playmaking of Davis and Irving, Smith believes the Mavericks could be a dark horse to compete for an NBA title. Read More: Warriors’ Jimmy Butler Reveals the Truth Behind Ugly Split With Miami Heat At the time of writing, the Mavericks hold odds of around +3300 to win the championship, well behind favorites like the Oklahoma City Thunder (+200), Cleveland Cavaliers (+600), Denver Nuggets (+650), New York Knicks (+1000), Houston Rockets (+1500) and Lakers (+1500).
