It took LeBron James a decision about his future in the NBA to actually start the schedule. Now that the opening day, Christmas Day, and the NBA Cup schedule are out, the Mavericks should consider themselves in a lucky place.
The Mavericks will be in "West A" against the Jazz, Suns, Rockets and Nuggets. The Nuggets and Rockets have been contenders for years, while the Mavs have been trying to get to relevance after the infamous Luka Doncic trade. Those are the only teams the Mavs would have to seriously worry about, because they can play the sleeper role and have the perfect chance to beat the Jazz and Suns.
It's still a long shot for the Mavericks to do something, but they at least have a chance now with the group they were given.
The NBA gave the Mavericks a chance in the NBA group stage
The only time the Mavs had a fighting chance in an NBA Cup was in 2024, when they reached the quarterfinals but came up short to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Since then, they've been seen as the little brother in the NBA Cup.
Utah has a young team, but they lost Walker Kessler. They got Jaren Jackson Jr. in the Memphis trade and have a lot of young guys like Darryn Peterson, Ace Bailey and Keyonte George. They are similar to Dallas in terms of "starting over," but the Mavs can compete with them.
The Phoenix Suns seem to be all in on Devin Booker, and they extended Dillon Brooks and Collin Gillespie to be a part of their future, but there's still a lot of uncertainty involving their roster.
Houston will be a consistent playoff contender, led by Alperen Şengün and Kevin Durant. They will also get Fred VanVleet back next season and have more reason to be a championship contender with that addition, considering he didn't play at all last season.
The Nuggets are led by Nikola Jokic, who is one of the greatest players of all time. They have been a championship contender for the past few years, but roster construction has been dead in recent years. They matched an offer sheet to Spencer Jones, but that's about it. The young and free Mavs, who have nothing to lose, can easily upset the Nuggets in the group stage.
Cooper Flagg, as the kid with nothing to lose, can easily tear things up for the Nuggets and Rockets if he plays his 'A' games. There's no pressure here at all, and they can make a run if all goes right.
We know the Mavs have a long way to go, but there's a path here for them to make noise.
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