The Dallas Mavericks are at the tail end of a turbulent transitional period. Players are injured, people are confused, and everyone involved just wants to see the offseason. The rhetoric that the Mavericks should throw all of their remaining games is a popular one. The team has limited control of their draft capital over the next five years, and with a strong upcoming draft class, it would make sense to ensure their first-rounder this year is valuable.
The time has come and gone to try to make the play-in. Kyrie Irving is out for the season, Cooper Flagg is spending significant time on the injury list, and the team is tooled to open up cap space in the offseason. Despite all this, even though they may be losing, the Mavericks’ tank agenda should be shelved.
With Nothing to Fight For, Why Shouldn’t the Mavericks Tank?
The Mavericks are currently losing a lot of basketball games. The idea that Dallas should tank the season is laughable, not due to the record, but due to the fact that tanking implies the Mavericks should try to lose.
The Mavericks don’t play like a team that is self-sabotaging for a better draft pick. They lose every game because they suck right now. Right now, the Mavericks need to “Embrace the Suck” and see it as a unique opportunity to improve. It seems the team wants to embark on what Brian Windhorst refers to as “The Flip”: resting injured superstars and aiming for a higher draft pick to become legitimate contenders the following season when their stars return. This is easier said than done. Depth and cohesion are just as important to a championship team as having 2-3 elite starters, and this is where the Mavs find opportunity.
It’s Time to Build the Second Unit
The only nailed-on starter for the Mavericks next season is Cooper Flagg. Kyrie could go; there is a wealth of expiring deals on the team, and without a cohesive, nailed-on lineup, it is hard to tell who will be a starter in 2026-27.
You can be a lot more certain about who will be warming the bench. For Mavericks fans in the tank brigade, the rare wins can be frustrating as they edge the Mavericks higher and higher up the draft. But every win for the team is as valuable as a loss. Every win itches Dallas towards a championship core. Every win shows cohesion and development for the Mavs’ role players.
When the bench mob comes in, fans around the NBA expect loose balls, sloppy passes and a lack of communication. Right now in Dallas, the rotation boys are running the show. They’re getting reps, building chemistry and becoming the most polished backup brigade ahead of the flip next season. Every win, no matter how rare or meagre, is evidence of that. As the great Sun Tzu said in ‘The Art of War,” “In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.”
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