Dallas Mavericks 2026-27 Season Preview: New Regime, Kyrie's Return & Fantasy Outlook

Dallas enters 2026-27 under an entirely new basketball operations regime, with Masai Ujiri and Dusty May tasked with building around Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg as a fully healthy Kyrie Irving returns from a torn ACL.

This Dallas Mavericks 2026-27 season preview breaks down every major storyline entering the year: the team's 2026 NBA Draft picks, its free agency departures and acquisitions, the franchise-wide leadership overhaul and projected starting lineup, updated Vegas win total and championship odds, and Mavericks fantasy basketball analysis on the players who matter most heading into DFS and season-long drafts. Eighteen months removed from the Luka Doncic trade, Dallas has now replaced its general manager, team president, and head coach, and is betting that a healthy Kyrie Irving alongside reigning Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg can push a 26-win team back toward the play-in picture.

Mavericks 2026-27 Season at a Glance

Dallas' 34.5 win total reflects real uncertainty around a 34-year-old Irving returning from a torn ACL and a first-year head coach in Dusty May, but the Mavericks' +20000 championship odds are a vote of confidence in Flagg's trajectory as a building block.

2026 NBA Draft: Mavericks' Picks and Fits

Dallas entered the 2026 NBA Draft with its own first-round pick for the last time until 2031 (the Mavericks owe a future first to Charlotte), making this class especially important for new general manager Mike Schmitz and president Masai Ujiri. The front office also acquired an additional first-rounder via trade with the Knicks.

Both first-round selections were traded for or drafted to fit a specific physical profile: new team president Masai Ujiri prioritized toughness, length, and multi-positional defense in Johnson, while the De Larrea acquisition addresses a playmaking need behind Irving.

Key Free Agent Departures

Dallas cleared out a significant chunk of last season's bench in a summer focused on shooting and complementary fit around Flagg and Irving:

Middleton's exit came as part of the same six-team blockbuster that brought in Marcus Sasser and Santi Aldama, while Nembhard was flipped separately to Atlanta as the centerpiece of the Zaccharie Risacher trade. Between those two moves and Thompson's departure, Dallas thinned out its perimeter shooting even as it added multiple new frontcourt and wing pieces.

Key Free Agent Acquisitions and Re-Signings

Major Roster Moves and Projected Starting Lineup

The headline story of Dallas' offseason wasn't a trade or a signing but a full front-office and coaching overhaul: Masai Ujiri was hired as president of basketball operations in May, and one of his first moves was parting ways with head coach Jason Kidd despite more than $40 million remaining on his contract. Ujiri then hired Mike Schmitz as general manager and Dusty May, fresh off a national championship at Michigan, as the new head coach. Once free agency opened, Schmitz worked the trade market aggressively, landing Marcus Sasser and Santi Aldama in a six-team deal and later flipping Ryan Nembhard to Atlanta for former No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher. The bigger basketball question remains health: Kyrie Irving has reportedly shown zero restrictions in offseason workouts and is considered fully recovered from the ACL tear that cost him all of last season.

Projected Starters

Bench Rotation

• Backcourt: Sergio De Larrea, Marcus Sasser
• Wing: Naji Marshall, Caleb Martin, Zaccharie Risacher
• Frontcourt: Daniel Gafford, Santi Aldama, Morez Johnson Jr., Moussa Cisse

This lineup could shift quickly: Dallas now has a glut of frontcourt bigs between Lively, Gafford, Washington, Aldama, and rookie Morez Johnson Jr., and a 34-year-old Irving coming off a major injury doesn't cleanly fit a timeline built around a 19-year-old Flagg, leaving real chances for in-season trades.

Mavericks Biggest Fantasy Questions

Can Kyrie Irving Return to All-NBA Form at 34?

Irving was performing at an All-NBA level before tearing his ACL in March 2025, averaging 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists on 47.3/40.1/91.6 shooting splits. Reports out of Dallas' offseason workouts describe him as fully healthy, but he hasn't played an NBA game in over 18 months. His fantasy price should reflect both the talent and the real risk that comes with a 34-year-old guard returning from a major knee injury.

Does Cooper Flagg Take Another Leap in Year Two?

Flagg's rookie season already ranks among the most productive in modern NBA history, but he shot just 29.5% from three. With Irving now handling more primary ball-handling duties, Flagg should see cleaner opportunities as a play-finisher and secondary creator, a role change that could boost his efficiency even if his usage dips slightly.

Will Anyone in Dallas' Front Court Stay Healthy?

Health has not been on Daniel Gafford or Dereck Lively's side throughout their NBA careers. Lively hasn't played more than 55 games in any of his first three seasons and has just 43 combined over the last two, including a 2025-26 season cut to seven games by foot surgery, while Gafford hasn't played more than 57 games in either of his first two full seasons in Dallas. Both carry a very high fantasy ceiling when on the floor, but health remains the swing factor for each.

Mavericks Fantasy Basketball 2026-27: Key Players to Know

Four Mavericks fantasy players carry meaningful weight into 2026-27 drafts, with health and a crowded frontcourt as the dominant storylines.

Cooper Flagg Fantasy Outlook

• 2026-27 ADP: 14.5
• Position: PF/SF/SG
• 2025-26 Stats: 21.0 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 4.5 APG, 1.2 SPG
• Fantasy Outlook: Top-15 building block
• What to Watch: Three-point efficiency and usage with Irving back

Flagg became the first rookie since Michael Jordan in 1984-85 to lead his own team in points, rebounds, assists, and steals, en route to a near-unanimous Rookie of the Year win over Kon Knueppel. He started all 70 games he played and posted historic across-the-board production for a teenager. His three-point shot (29.5%) is the one real hole in his profile, but with Irving now drawing more defensive attention, Flagg's efficiency has real room to climb in year two.

Kyrie Irving Fantasy Outlook

• 2026-27 ADP: 65.5
• Position: PG
• 2025-26 Stats: Did not play (ACL recovery)
• Fantasy Outlook: High-upside health bet
• What to Watch: Minutes restrictions and back-to-back management

Irving tore his ACL in March 2025 and missed the entirety of the 2025-26 season. Before the injury, he was playing at an All-NBA level, and reports out of Dallas this summer describe him as fully recovered with no restrictions in workouts. An ADP in the mid-60s reflects real caution about a 34-year-old coming off a major knee injury, which means a clean bill of health in camp would make him one of the better value plays at his position.

Daniel Gafford Fantasy Outlook

• 2026-27 ADP: 119.5
• Position: C
• 2025-26 Stats: Efficient rim-running center production
• Fantasy Outlook: Efficient source of blocks and field-goal percentage
• What to Watch: Minutes split with Dereck Lively

Gafford signed a three-year, $54 million extension to remain in Dallas and profiles as one of the most efficient bigs in the league when he plays, offering strong field-goal percentage and shot-blocking in a part-time role. With Lively penciled in as the starter, Gafford's fantasy value depends heavily on how head coach Dusty May splits center minutes between the two, but his per-minute production is valuable in category leagues even off the bench.

P.J. Washington Fantasy Outlook

• 2026-27 ADP: 176.0
• Position: C/PF/SF
• 2025-26 Stats: Multi-positional frontcourt starter
• Fantasy Outlook: Late-round three-and-D floor
• What to Watch: Trade rumors amid a crowded frontcourt

Washington signed a four-year deal with Dallas last season and profiles as a versatile forward who can defend multiple positions and knock down threes with the right spacing around him. He's projected to start, and as a three-point-shooting forward, he gives Dallas real deep-league value at his position.

Mavericks Fantasy Sleepers & Breakouts

Mavericks Fantasy Sleeper

P.J. Washington: Locked into the starting power forward job with Dallas' frontcourt logjam sorted out around him, Washington offers three-point volume and multi-positional defense at a rock-bottom ADP of 176.0. He won't carry a fantasy team, but he's a reliable source of cheap threes and stocks for a starter on a playoff-hopeful roster.

Mavericks Fantasy Breakout Candidate

Dereck Lively: When healthy, Lively has flashed genuine top-100 production, averaging 8.8 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks as a rookie before a foot injury limited him to just seven games in 2025-26. He's penciled back in as the starting center, and a full, healthy season, with Dallas' crowded frontcourt now working in his favor as insurance rather than competition, gives him a real path to outproduce his current draft cost, particularly in blocks- and field-goal-percentage-driven category leagues.

Data via NBA.com, ESPN, Yahoo Sports, Hoops Rumors, Spotrac, BetMGM, RotoWire, and Basketball Reference. Odds and win totals reflect lines as of mid-September 2026 and are subject to change.