Dallas Mavericks’ Outlook Entering 2025 NBA Offseason
When one door closes, another opens. The Dallas Mavericks were finally put out of their misery following a 120-106 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies at the FedExForum in Friday’s NBA Play-In Tournament Game. However, Dallas’ 2025 NBA offseason can get ugly. Yes, ugly.
In less than a year, Dallas went from the NBA Finals to the NBA Play-In Tournament. Mavericks fans might’ve said the Mavericks’ season was over on February 2, but the team’s season officially ended on April 18. Mavericks General Manager Nico Harrison might’ve been the fall guy in the Luka Doncic trade. It’s understandable why Harrison would trade Doncic to Los Angeles, but the Mavericks should’ve gotten more in return for a star player.
Dallas Mavericks’ Short-Term Outlook
The Dallas Mavericks’ short-term outlook is quite simple. The Mavericks suffered from a slow start and turnovers in Friday’s loss. Mavs.com reported that members of the Mavericks said the Memphis Grizzlies kept speeding them up and turning them over.
Mavericks Guard Klay Thompson said, “They just sped us up and turned us over … We dug ourselves too big of a hole.” Thompson added, “It sucks. It’s a one-game elimination, there’s no adjustments you can make, there’s no game to look forward to again. It just stinks.”
The Mavericks were also outrebounded by the Grizzlies, 50-36, including 16-7 on the offensive glass. Mavericks Head Coach Jason Kidd said that the offensive rebounds and the transition game hurt his team before saying the Grizzlies had a lot of offensive rebounds, which led to second-chance points.
Long-Term Outlook
The Dallas Mavericks’ long-term outlook can get dicey. The 2024-25 NBA season was a very trying time for the Mavericks, thanks to many injuries. The Mavericks were just one year removed from advancing to the 2024 NBA Finals and showed the public that change was possible.
Kidd described this season as an “incredible season when you look at the injuries that we had, the change. For us to even be here playing in this game (Friday) is incredible,” Kidd added. “It just shows the character of that group in that locker room. The fight, being prepared, moving on, learning from our losses, and also our wins. An incredible season.”
The “change” Kidd described was the February 2 trade that sent Doncic, Maxi Kleber, and Markieff Morris to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a first-round draft pick. The Feb. 2 trade changed the overall landscape for both Dallas and Los Angeles.
The Mavericks can succeed by making the right roster moves, maintaining stability, and playing with passion, integrity, and a deep connection to the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. The Mavericks should be patient as sticking to a three-piece plan requires strategy. Jaden Hardy is arguably the Mavericks’ best ball handler right now as Spencer Dinwiddie isn’t under contract and Kyrie Irving remains out with left knee surgery.
Final Thoughts
The Dallas Mavericks just endured one of their worst seasons in franchise history, but they’ll be fine in the future. Mavericks center Dereck Lively II reminded the general public that his first two years in the NBA saw some awesome times last season and some less-than-awesome times this season.
Lively II said, “Going through all this adversity is going to make us stronger because you can’t continuously succeed without failing … You got to be able to fail to succeed.” Lively added, “We’ve been to the top of the mountain and now we’re at the bottom. It’s going to (require) us coming together as a team, coming together as one, so we can climb the mountaintop and get back to who we know we are.”
Lively II has a point. The Mavericks should find their identity, preferably before the start of the 2025-26 NBA season. The Mavericks lost their identity along the way this season, perhaps before the February 2 trade, as the Mavericks’ struggles were clear amid Doncic’s left calf strain. The Mavericks also traded Quentin Grimes to the Philadelphia 76ers for Caleb Martin, a small forward whose struggles might’ve stemmed from injuries.
The Mavericks should also continue to believe in Davis. Davis did everything he could for the Mavericks during Friday’s game, but couldn’t carry the team. Davis finished with 40 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block while shooting 16-29 from the field and 2-of-7 from downtown in 37 minutes. Davis might be washed up, but he has a few prime seasons left. He has not deserved most of the criticism received so far.
