While Kyrie Irving's health is a huge indictment upon how next season goes for the Mavericks, they aren't getting enough credit for re-signing Dante Exum and signing D'Angelo Russell during this free agency period, as those two guard along with Brandon Williams may be enough to keep things steady until Irving gets back if Williams continues on the upward trajectory he was on last season.
Not only are the Mavericks not getting credit for how solid a roster they have on paper from the national media, but Las Vegas seems to be thinking the Mavericks are mediocre as well, as most betting sites have Dallas over/under win total line for next season around 39.5 or 40.5 games.
Mavericks are much better than Vegas is crediting them for
Now make no mistake about it, Dallas is in as loaded of a Western Conference as there's ever been, and there won't be many games next season where Dallas can simply roll over their opponents. However, the Mavericks withstood the tide of a revolting fanbase and one of the worst injury stretches of all-time last season, yet still managed to go 39-43, so the lines many oddsmakers are putting out are completely negligent of how good of a team the Mavericks will have next season.
This isn't to say the Mavericks will be on a 50-win pace next season or anything of the sort, as getting to that level of regular-season success will likely require Irving coming back and returning to form by at least the All-Star break, which isn't a safe bet to make by any stretch of the imagination. However, oddsmakers and whoever is betting on these lines to help sway them are criminally underrating how talented a team the Mavericks have, even without Irving, as this team should win over 40 games next season, given their ability to physically impose themselves on opposing frontcourts.
Even though Cooper Flagg is a rookie, he's perhaps the most day-one ready rookie that has come into this league in a long time, and he'll be able to play a role and impact winning from the get-go for the Mavericks, and he gives Dallas a fluid and versatile prototype on the wing that they haven't had in a very long time.
The Mavericks are poised to turn heads next season, barring another injury bug running its course through the team again, and there probably (fingers crossed) won't be another midseason trade that completely derails the Mavericks and their fanbase next season. It's undeniable that the Mavericks could shock a lot of different people in Las Vegas next season, especially if some swing factors, such as D'Angelo Russell having a reclamation season or P.J. Washington being better offensively next season, end up turning in Dallas' favor.
