Dallas Mavericks’ Biggest Obstacle to Win NBA Finals Revealed originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

Say what you want about the Luka Doncic trade, but the Dallas Mavericks would not be in the position they were in if it weren’t for parting ways with their superstar.

Of course, when Dallas made the call to send their franchise centerpiece to the Los Angeles Lakers, they did not see themselves ending up in the NBA Draft Lottery, let alone winning the rights to the first overall pick with a measly 1.8 percent chance of doing so.

Regardless, Cooper Flagg is officially a Maverick, and Dallas is expected to hit the ground running. With wings like Klay Thompson, Naji Marshall, and PJ Washington and a frontcourt of Flagg, Anthony Davis, Daniel Gafford, and Dereck Lively II, the Mavs have reason to be hopeful.

Imagine reading “Mavericks” and “hopeful” in the same sentence just a few months ago.

“Whatever you want to say about the Luka Doncic trade, Nico Harrison has built arguably the best front line in the NBA,” said ESPN insider Shams Charania.

Of course, Kyrie Irving suffered a torn ACL last season, so Dallas will be without a point guard to help facilitate the offense, which could hinder their title hopes. 

“The biggest key, though, of this season is going to be Kyrie Irving, the return to health that he’s going to have,” Charania continued. “If he was healthy right now, we’d probably be talking about this team with the Thunder, competing for a championship 1,000 percent.”

Irving is targeting a January or February return to the lineup, although the Mavericks, who recently signed him to a three-year deal, will not rush him back. 

In the meantime, Chris Paul, D’Angelo Russell, and Malcolm Brogdon have all been named as possible stopgap floor generals to get the ball to the Mavs’ scorers.

Related: Inside Mavericks Starting Lineup As No. 1 Pick Cooper Flagg Becomes Official

Related: Cooper Flagg Sparks Hope But Not ‘Fire Nico’ Forgiveness for Mavericks Fans

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 26, 2025, where it first appeared.