Dallas Faces a Crossroads: Can Building Around Cooper Flagg Ignite a Championship Dream?

The Dallas Mavericks are at a crossroads — the unexpected exit of GM Nico Harrison shakes up a franchise that gambled heavily on immediate success but now faces a pressing decision: recalibrate or risk being boxed in. Harrison’s bold move to trade Luka Doncic, a burgeoning superstar in his prime, wasn’t just controversial — it fundamentally altered the Mavericks’ trajectory. Betting on seasoned veterans Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving, both talented yet injury-prone, Harrison’s short-term strategy left little room for long-term growth. With Dallas now holding top draft pick Cooper Flagg, the question looms large: Can the Mavericks pivot swiftly and build a sustainable future? The next general manager will have to navigate this delicate balance, steering a team hungry for a reset yet eager to contend. What moves lie ahead and how the Mavericks plan to harness their assets will shape their fortunes for years to come. LEARN MORE

Nico Harrison is out as the Dallas Mavericks general manager — something that needed to happen.

Not just because he traded away Luka Doncic, a top-five player in the world entering his prime — although it’s hard to imagine a more fireable offense for a GM. More than that, Harrison’s firing had to happen now to stop everything that was to come. He had staked everything on his belief that trading away Doncic was what was best for the franchise and had made the Mavericks contenders right now, behind Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving, two championship players, but ones who are now older and with injury histories. Sure, Dallas now had No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg, but Harrison was all-in on the short term and winning now with these Mavericks, not thinking long-term. Every move he would have made was going to be about the two- to three-year championship window he said the team had. He would have extended Anthony Davis this summer. It would have boxed the team in.

Dallas now has a chance for a reset, but what comes next?

Finding a new GM

Before picking a direction, Dallas has to pick its next decision-maker.

In the short term, Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi will serve as co-interim general managers, the team announced. Finley has been in the Mavericks front office for 11 seasons following his 15-year playing career. Riccardi has been in Dallas since 2022, having come over from the Brooklyn Nets. Both are likely to be interviewed and in the mix to get the job full-time.

One name instantly floated — by none other than former Mavericks owner Mark Cuban — is Dennis Lindsey. He spent seven seasons as the general manager of the Utah Jazz, and has also worked in the front offices of Houston and San Antonio. He is currently the senior vice president of basketball operations with the Detroit Pistons. Lindsey has experience in the role and knows Dallas, although how having the public support of Cuban plays with the current Mavericks ownership is up for debate.

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One other name to watch: Jason Kidd. He is currently the Mavericks head coach, but since his time in Brooklyn it has been no secret in league circles that ultimately, he would like to end up being in the front office, putting a team together. Kidd has a strong relationship with team governor/owner Patrick Dumont, which helps.

Whoever the Mavericks choose, they need to do so relatively quickly, because there are major decisions ahead, and they are coming fast.

Pivot toward Cooper Flagg

Dallas has started the season 3-8, although a big part of those struggles is Irving’s absence as he recovers from a torn ACL suffered last season. Without him, Harrison turned to D’Angelo Russell to run the point, and while that was the best available option it was not a good one. It led to the situation where Kidd asked Cooper Flagg to play point forward, and he has done as well as a rookie being asked to play out of position could be expected to. But it’s not ideal.

That 3-8 start, along with Irving’s continued absence, points to a clear direction the Mavericks should take:

Pivot hard and start building around Flagg. Now.

Dallas controls its own draft pick this season, in what is considered a very deep draft at the top. The Mavericks do not control their own picks from 2027 to 2030 — they have only one shot at this.

Doing that leads to other obvious moves. That starts with trading Anthony Davis, maybe at the trade deadline but definitely by next summer. Explore trading some of the other veterans, including Irving, as well as Daniel Gafford, Naji Marshall and P.J. Washington (Dereck Lively, at age 21, should stick around).

It may take a handful of years to bring the entire thing together, but what San Antonio has done around Victor Wembanyama is the model. The Spurs didn’t rush it (as much as his otherworldly talent pushes the timeline), they got a little lucky in the NBA Draft Lottery but selected wisely with reigning Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle (who has taken a big step forward in his second season) and No. 2 pick Dylan Harper. When the opportunity arrived to land a high-level player who should pair well with Wemby in the form of De’Aaron Fox, San Antonio jumped at it. It took a few years, but we can all see the plan coming together.

Flagg is not Wembanyama, but the model is the same.

To be clear, the market for Davis — age 32 and with a history of nagging injuries — is not ideal, but there will be interest. Tell Irving to take all the time he needs and then some before returning this season. Then, this summer, work with Irving and test the trade market for a player who is still one of the better point guards in the game.

Dallas should have other goals, such as getting below the luxury tax in the short term and ideally finding a trade with Charlotte, which controls the Mavericks’ 2027 first-round pick.

Harrison had a team in the NBA Finals just two seasons ago, then, inexplicably, traded away a star player in his prime, thinking that would give the franchise a better championship window. While there will be a temptation for ownership and the new GM to try to keep that timeline going, it’s time to consider those sunk costs. The combination of injury-prone stars and elite teams in Denver and Oklahoma City makes a two- or three-year window seem like a long shot.

It’s time for Dallas to think long-term. It’s time to pivot and build around Flagg.