The Mavericks have gone from a 15-67 expansion debut to a single championship built on one franchise player at a time, and that pattern is exactly what they are running again with Cooper Flagg. The Rockets rivalry that shaped Dallas's 1980s and 2014 playoff wars resurfaced this month in a preseason loss, with the actual rematch set for the regular-season opener.
Built One Star At A Time
Dallas entered the league in 1980-81 and went 15-67 under first coach Dick Motta before the 1981 draft brought Mark Aguirre and Rolando Blackman, the pair that turned a last-place expansion team into a winning one by 1983-84. Dirk Nowitzki repeated that pattern on a longer arc, turning a trade-acquired cornerstone into the 2011 championship, and Luka Doncic inherited the same job until Dallas traded him to the Lakers for Anthony Davis in February 2025. Cooper Flagg, the No. 1 pick who averaged 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists over 70 games as a rookie last season, is now the player Dallas is building around in the same way.
Harrison's Words Still Apply
General manager Nico Harrison explained the Doncic-for-Davis trade by saying, 'I believe that defense wins championships,' and last season's numbers back the idea that defense is the easier fix. Dallas finished 26-56 with a 27th-ranked offense but a 19th-ranked defense, and that gap between the two sides of the ball is the same one the roster is trying to close around Flagg, P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford this season.
The Rockets Rivalry Resurfaces
Houston and San Antonio have been Dallas's sharpest in-state rivals for decades, including a 2014 seven-game series the Mavericks split with the Spurs before San Antonio closed it out 119-96 in Game 7. The newest chapter came October 9, when Houston beat Dallas 117-135 in this preseason's opener, with Flagg scoring 19 points and Naji Marshall adding 16. That rivalry gets its real test on October 21, when the regular-season opener sends Dallas back to Houston with the record still 0-0.
Have the Mavericks ever won an NBA championship?
Yes. Dallas won its only title in 2011, the Dirk Nowitzki-led run that remains the franchise's lone banner.
Why did the Mavericks trade Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis?
General manager Nico Harrison framed the February 2025 deal around defense, saying, 'I believe that defense wins championships.'
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