When the 2024-25 Dallas Mavericks season arrived, the excitement among the fans and team was through the roof. The Mavericks were eager to fulfill their championship aspirations in 2025 after losing to the Boston Celtics in the 2024 NBA Finals.
Unfortunately, this season has been one to forget for all the wrong things. On Christmas Day, Luka Doncic's calf injury put severe jeopardy into the season, then the Doncic trade to the Los Angeles Lakers happened, which broke the hearts of all Maverick fans. Receiving Anthony Davis back in return from the Lakers hasn't gone well.
Davis has only played in one game for the Mavericks, and could be looking at missing the rest of the season. With how brutal this season has gone for the Mavericks, the best thing to do for this season is something that fans might not like, but it could benefit the Mavericks in the long run.
Mavericks' best hope for the future is a strategy fans will despise
After last night's 126-116 loss on the road to the San Antonio Spurs, the Mavericks fell to 33-34 on the season. With the loss, the Mavericks have now lost eight of their last 10 games. With the season being in shambles, the best case scenario for the Mavericks is to not qualify for the Play-In Tournament.
It might be hard to accept that this season is arguably the most disappointing in Mavericks history given the expectations, but the injuries to Davis, Kyrie Irving and other key players along with the Doncic trade, have certainly put this season in the memory books in the wrong way.
The Mavericks own their first-round draft pick this year and next year. This year's first rounder is crucial. With the position the Mavericks are in, tanking will help them land better odds for the draft lottery, and with the summer ahead, which could be uncertain, this year's first rounder is very valuable as the draft class is absolutely loaded.
In order to push for the play-in, Dallas would also likely need to bring back Dereck Lively II, Davis, and P.J. Washington. While Davis and Lively II are poised to be healthy enough at some point in the season to return, the risk of them getting re-injured is not worth the reward of a play-in spot. It also must be considered that Washington's right ankle has been giving him problems for weeks now.
With Irving coming off of an ACL tear and having a player option, Irving's future in Dallas could be a concern. This year's first rounder is valuable in order for the Mavericks to land another franchise player and someone who can play on a nightly basis. With Irving and Davis both being 32 years old and Klay Thompson being 35 years old, the Mavericks need a young player to help build around for the future. That's why not rushing anyone back and tanking might be the best option to land a better position in the draft.
If Dallas lands a solid player in the first round at the 2025 draft, it can put them in position to develop the player with the veterans Dallas has. If Irving does come back, it will give more of a boost to develop a rookie, as he is known for developing Dallas' youngsters.
Tanking is something that fans don't want to root for when it comes to their teams, as it's hard to watch and has to hurt the guys on the floor, but it would be the best case scenario for the Mavericks at the moment. Even though Dallas still has a great shot at making the play-in, the draft lottery may be their best boost to the future. The Mavericks don't have the roster to make a deep playoff run, and they need a cost-controlled young player. Falling below .500 might be the sign that losing is the best idea moving forward, and maybe the Mavs will finally move up in the lottery this year.
Dallas has not refrained from tanking in the past, as they did this in 2023 and ended up with Lively II in the draft, and this year could bring more of the same.
