Reunion Arena to Flagg: Dallas Keeps Rebuilding Around Its…

By the Mavericks Nightly Desk · Monday, October 19

The Mavericks open the 2026-27 season Wednesday at Houston, 0-0, after a 26-56 finish last season. Their history says stars built through the draft and one bold trade carried Dallas furthest, and Cooper Flagg is the newest test of that formula.

Mavericks Nightly artwork — Illustration by Hoops Nightly.

The Aguirre-Blackman blueprint

Dallas started 15-67 in 1980-81. Three years later it was 43-39 and in the playoffs for the first time. The 1981 draft supplied Mark Aguirre at 24.6 points a game over seven years and Rolando Blackman at 19.2 over eleven. That is the template Flagg inherits: two scorers who grew up together and gave a young franchise a ceiling. Flagg scored 21.0 a night last season on 29.5 percent from three. The scoring is there. The jumper is the open question.

Where the Nowitzki trade fits

Dallas also learned that patience beats panic. After the 47-35 season in 1989-90, the club went until 2001 without a winning year or a playoff trip. Then the 1998 acquisition of Dirk Nowitzki produced a first Finals in 2006 and the 2011 title. The Doncic trade for Anthony Davis in 2025 ended the next chapter. Nico Harrison still defends it by saying defense wins championships. Last season's 115.5 defensive rating, 19th in the league, did not prove that.

Wednesday in Houston, with a thin roster

The Rockets ended Dallas's 2015 playoff run, and they are the opener again. The Mavericks waived Dwight Powell on Monday, a 35-year-old who is the oldest man on the roster by a wide margin. Dereck Lively II, Santi Aldama, Tarik Biberovic and Jett Howard are all listed day-to-day with an estimated return of Oct. 21. Dusty May needs two of them healthy, plus Kyrie Irving and Flagg, to make the opener a real read on this team. Reunion Arena teams got better by growing together. This one has a first-year coach and a $197.9 million payroll to prove the same.

When do the Mavericks play their 2026-27 opener?

Dallas opens Wednesday, Oct. 21, at the Rockets. The Mavericks are 0-0, and the next stops are at the Pacers on Oct. 23 and home against the Spurs on Oct. 24.

How good were the Mavericks last season?

They finished 26-56 with a minus-5.2 net rating. The offense ranked 27th in the league and the defense 19th.

By the Mavericks Nightly Desk, written from the club's data and the reports on file, with every name and number checked against them. How the desks work.