When the Dallas Mavericks hired Masai Ujiri, Mike Schmitz, and eventually Dusty May, it felt like the franchise had finally turned a corner.
For the first time in years, there appeared to be a clear plan. Nico Harrison was gone; one of the league’s most respected executives was running basketball operations; one of the NBA’s best talent evaluators joined him; and Dallas hired arguably the hottest coaching candidate in basketball. Considering everything the organization had gone through over the previous year, it finally felt like competent basketball people were making basketball decisions.
Then the roster-building started.
And honestly, it’s been difficult to figure out exactly what the Mavericks are trying to become.
The roster already entered the offseason with obvious flaws. Dallas had almost no reliable guard play outside of Kyrie Irving, an abundance of wings who all occupy similar roles, several centers with lengthy injury histories, very little draft capital, and one of the most important roster-building windows in franchise history beginning around Cooper Flagg. That context matters because the Mavericks don’t have the luxury of experimenting. They only control a handful of future first-round picks during Flagg’s rookie contract, meaning almost every major move carries significant weight.
Which makes the direction they’ve chosen even more confusing.
The ninth pick was supposed to answer Dallas’ biggest question
Coming into the draft, most people assumed Dallas would target a guard.
Not because guards are inherently more valuable than forwards, but because of Cooper Flagg.
Flagg just completed one of the best rookie seasons we’ve seen in years. He proved he can score at every level, defend multiple positions, create for teammates, and function as the offensive engine of a franchise. The next step isn’t finding another version of Cooper Flagg.
It’s finding the players that maximize Cooper Flagg.
That’s why so many people viewed the ninth pick as an opportunity to find his long-term backcourt partner.
Instead, Dallas selected Morez Johnson Jr.
To be clear, this isn’t really about Johnson as a prospect. I actually like Morez Johnson Jr. He plays incredibly hard. He’s physical, athletic, rebounds everything, protects the rim, and still has legitimate upside. He was also coached by Dusty May at Michigan, giving Dallas a level of familiarity that very few prospects could match. If you’re drafting the best player available, I completely understand the selection.
But if you’re drafting specifically for this Mavericks roster, I still struggle to understand the fit.
The fit is where the confusion begins
The Mavericks didn’t draft a bad basketball player.
They drafted another player whose best position overlaps with their roster’s strengths.
Dallas already has Cooper Flagg. PJ Washington is still under contract. Naji Marshall remains one of the team’s better rotation players. Caleb Martin is still on the roster. Now they’ve added Morez Johnson Jr., another forward who wins with physicality, energy, and interior play.
Those players all have different strengths and bring different skill sets.
But they’re still competing for many of the same minutes while Dallas’ biggest weakness remains exactly what it was before draft night.
Guard play.
Free agency has only made the questions louder
The draft wasn’t necessarily the end of the world.
Brayden Burries was really the only guard many considered worthy of the ninth pick once Dallas was on the clock, and free agency presented several opportunities to address the backcourt afterward. That’s why patience initially made sense.
To the Mavericks’ credit, they have actually done a good job preserving flexibility. Rather than locking themselves into bad long-term money, they’ve accumulated sizable trade exceptions that can be used at virtually any point this offseason. Those exceptions are valuable tools. They give Dallas the ability to absorb contracts, facilitate trades, and improve the roster without being backed into a financial corner.
The problem is that flexibility only matters if you eventually use it.
So far, the Mavericks haven’t.
Yes, they drafted Sergio de Larrea, but he’s widely viewed as a long-term developmental prospect who is unlikely to contribute immediately.
They’re also reportedly adding Marcus Sasser. I actually like Sasser. He’s a capable shooter, competes defensively, and has shown flashes as a secondary creator in limited NBA minutes.
But that’s exactly the point.
Sasser isn’t the type of player who fundamentally changes the offense. Like Kyrie Irving, he’s probably better playing off another creator than running everything himself. He helps the roster, but he doesn’t solve the roster’s biggest problem.
The one meaningful veteran addition has been Santi Aldama, whom Dallas acquired by using one of the few tradable first-round picks it controls over the next several years. Aldama is a good player. He spaces the floor, moves the ball well, and gives Dallas another versatile frontcourt option.
But once again, it’s difficult to understand the positional priorities.
The Mavericks used one of their most valuable trade assets to acquire another forward while the roster’s biggest weakness remained untouched. Aldama can absolutely help this team, but he doesn’t answer the question that has followed Dallas since the season ended.
Who is going to organize the offense?
Creators win the modern NBA
This is where the offseason starts becoming genuinely frustrating.
I want to make something very clear.
Kyrie Irving is absolutely capable of playing point guard.
For the 30 to 50 games he’ll likely play this season while returning from his Achilles injury, he’ll probably be very good. Watching Kyrie and Cooper Flagg share the floor should be one of the most entertaining parts of next season.
But asking Kyrie to function as your primary offensive organizer in 2026 misses what makes him special.
Throughout his career, Irving has been at his best when he can score, attack tilted defenses, and play off another creator.
The same thing is true for Cooper Flagg.
Flagg can absolutely initiate offense, but his ceiling becomes even higher when someone else can organize possessions, get him the ball in advantageous situations, and allow him to attack instead of creating every action from scratch.
That’s why this roster construction feels backward.
The Mavericks don’t just need a point guard because they don’t currently have one.
They need one because it maximizes the value of their two best players.
The modern NBA isn’t won by one creator anymore.
It’s won with multiple decision-makers who can handle, pass, score, and keep defenses constantly rotating. Look around the league. Nearly every serious contender has multiple players capable of organizing offense.
Dallas currently doesn’t.
The clock is already ticking.
This also isn’t a rebuilding team with unlimited assets. With already limited draft assets, and a league where building around expensive superstars is harder than ever, and the Mavericks having a player who has a chance to be a true superstar on the cheapest contract of his career, they have to prioritize at least building a brand around Cooper Flagg.
Dallas owes its 2027 first-round pick. There isn’t much incentive to lose games anymore. This season is supposed to be about taking the first real step toward building a playoff team around Cooper Flagg.
Instead, it feels like the Mavericks are building on top of Flagg instead of around him.
Maybe the Mavericks are simply waiting for the right opportunity.
Maybe those trade exceptions are being saved for a move that hasn’t materialized yet.
Maybe Masai Ujiri and Mike Schmitz know exactly which guard they’re targeting, and they’re refusing to rush into the wrong deal.
I hope that’s the case.
Because if this roster is anywhere close to what Dallas opens training camp with, it’s fair to wonder what the overall vision actually is.
No matter how you spin it, the answer feels the same.
Whether you’re thinking about Cooper Flagg’s long-term development, Kyrie Irving’s short-term fit, or simply trying to win basketball games in today’s NBA, the Mavericks need another legitimate playmaker.
A real one.
Someone who can organize offense, create advantages for others, and lessen the burden on both Flagg and Kyrie.
The flexibility is there.
The trade exceptions are there.
The front office has the resources to make another move.
Now they have to use them. And yes, there is a LOT of time left in this summer for things to change.
However, if the Mavs do not start to build SOMETHING, what began as one of the league’s most promising offseasons from a leadership standpoint could quickly turn into a very long winter on the court.
