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.

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“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.”

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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.

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