Dallas, TX
Forget Last Year’s Finals Loss, The Dallas Mavericks’ Championship Window Is Still Wide Open
The Dallas Mavericks suffered a disappointing defeat in the NBA Finals last season, falling to the Boston Celtics in five games. They were clearly outmatched against a team with shooting and versatile defensive options to throw at Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, but that’s no reason to be discouraged about the future of the Mavericks.
Bleacher Report recently ranked every team’s three-year championship window and placed the Mavs fifth behind the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Boston Celtics, the Denver Nuggets, and the Philadelphia 76ers. An argument can be made about whether they should be placed above the 76ers and Nuggets but this is what B/r had to say about the Mavs’ placement.
READ MORE: The Dallas Mavericks’ Addition of Klay Thompson Is Underrated
“SuperDuperUltraMegaAbsurd stars have a way of wedging open title windows almost entirely on their own. Luka Dončić is that brand of brilliant—and just about to enter his age-25 season, which is SuperDuperUltraMegaAbsurdly ridiculous. That alone puts the Dallas Mavericks into the top-10 conversation.
“But Dončić is not alone. Not even close.
“Landing Dereck Lively II at the 2023 draft was a stroke of genius by the Mavs front office. The closer he inches toward his prime during this window, the better off Dallas will be.
“Kyrie Irving arms the Mavs with a certified co-star. He’s also one of their question marks—not because of his fit, but because he’ll close this window in his age-35 season. For as deep as Dallas is now, it’s not built to withstand much measurable regression from him.
“The integration of a 34-year-old Klay Thompson looms as well. But the Mavs are younger elsewhere. P.J. Washington is about to turn 26. Daniel Gafford turns 26 in October. Naji Marshall turns 27 in January. Quentin Grimes is a sneaky candidate to emerge as a big-picture three-and-D anchor and is only entering his age-24 season.
“Any prospective downside tethered to the Mavs’ window likely won’t manifest until the final year—at the absolute earliest. And that’s assuming they don’t have another notable trade or two in them. They might. They have two first-round picks to peddle in trades now, and that number climbs to three if they wait long enough.”
READ MORE: ESPN Predicts 2025 MVP Race Between Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Dallas’ championship hopes mainly rest on Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson aging gracefully while Luka Doncic remains one of the best players in the world. Thompson and Irving are entering their mid-30s and Thompson has already lost some athleticism due to injuries in the last few years, but his shooting and Irving’s control of the ball are two skills that shouldn’t fade.
Any improvement Dallas sees from Dereck Lively II or P.J. Washington would be a bonus. The Mavs have done the hard part in acquiring a player of Doncic’s level and surrounding him with star talent. If the role players can become better shooters and smarter defenders, the Mavericks should have as good a chance as any to hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy in the next few years.
The Thunder and Celtics placed in the top two spots makes sense. Both are young teams with All-NBA talents entering their prime and have the shooting and versatile defenders necessary to win in today’s NBA. The Nuggets have Nikola Jokic, winner of three of the last four MVP awards, while the 76ers have a star trio of Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Paul George.
Given Embiid’s injury history and Paul George’s age and recent playoff performances, the Mavericks should be ranked ahead of them. Denver has lost a lot of pieces and is dealing with cap constraints. Jamal Murray also played poorly in the Olympics and some have to wonder if that will carry into the season. Jokic is Jokic but they’re not the same team they were and don’t have a lot of moves to make.
It feels like the 2000s again when Dallas was constantly in title contention with Dirk Nowitzki leading the way. The Mavs are hopeful Doncic can carry a similar impact through the rest of the decade and beyond.
READ MORE: Former All-Star Has High Expectations for Klay Thompson’s First Game Against Golden State Warriors
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Behold the 2026 Dallas Cowboys schedule.
We knew coming into Thursday that the Cowboys would be on the road to take on the New York Giants in the season opener on Sunday Night Football, that Dallas is “hosting” the Baltimore Ravens in Brazil in Week 3, and that the Philadelphia Eagles would be in town for Thanksgiving Day. Now we know it all.
Among the first things that jump to mind is that bye week is late. Dallas isn’t on bye until Week 14, the Sunday of that week is December 13th for full perspective.
The Cowboys also only play twice in their own building, thanks to the Brazil game, before November. Sometimes those weird quirks show up in schedules and this is certainly one of them.
It is interesting to see that the NFL gave Dallas the longest amount of rest possible after their Thanksgiving tilt. It hasn’t been uncommon for the league to have the Cowboys play on consecutive Thursdays, but perhaps that is a thing of the past.
Flashit Photography
On Wednesday, the Dallas City Council approved funding that will replace highway exit signs and road signs marking Lamar Street with new signage honoring Botham Jean, the 26-year-old Dallas accountant who was fatally shot in his own apartment by an off-duty Dallas police officer in 2018.
The $180,500 in funding for 13 signs to be installed by the Texas Department of Transportation is the final step in the street renaming that was unanimously approved by the council in 2021. The new signs will be placed at exits along Interstate 45, State Highway 310 and U.S. Highway 175.
Already, Botham Jean Boulevard signs run along the road in the Cedars, where Jean lived before he was killed.
“This street on which he chose to live and the street on which he died can serve as a lasting memory of the upstanding resident who loved Dallas so much,” his mother, Allison Jean, told the council in 2021.
Jean was shot by Amber Guyger, a Dallas police officer, after she entered his apartment believing it was her own. A Dallas jury found Guyger guilty of murder in 2019 and sentenced her to 10 years in prison. She has also been ordered to pay the Jean family nearly $100 million in a civil trial, which accused her of using excessive force.
The Jean family is seeking restitution from the city of Dallas because they argue that Dallas, as Guyger’s former employer, had a duty to defend Guyger and pay out claims brought against her. The Jean family filed suit against the city in April of this year.
On Wednesday, city council member Adam Bazaldua stated that the continued remembrance of Jean’s name is a reminder that “no one is above the law.”
“This has never simply been about changing street signs; it has always been about commemorating a life that was taken too soon,” said Bazaldua. “When driving down Botham Jean Boulevard, we are reminded of the thousands of lives lost across the country each year to senseless gun violence.”
Bazaldua said that once city leaders were made aware that some signs from the initial 2021 street name change had not materialized, the horseshoe took steps to correct the oversight “somewhat promptly.” But he acknowledged that Wednesday’s funding came on the heels of community advocacy urging the project’s completion.
Community leader Yafeuh Balogun said his organization, Community Movement Builders, began asking the city for the updated signs in September 2025. Addressing the council ahead of Wednesday’s vote, Balogun encouraged the horseshoe to vote in favor of the funds because it “would make no sense” to not follow through with the street renaming approved years ago.
“I think this is very powerful simply because driving here today, I still saw the Lamar Street Signs,” Balogun said. “I remember how powerful it was back in 2021 when the city council voted to rename Lamar Street to Botham Jean. I’d like to keep that legacy going.”
We’re less than a month out from the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and North Texans volunteering in the event have received their uniforms. FOX 4’s Peyton Yager has more on that and the new hospitality tickets released today.
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