What the Heck Can the Mavs Do Now? Advice from an Ex-Mavs Analytics Staffer

Nico Harrison has turned an NBA Finals team into a scene from Mad Max. Where does Dallas go now?

Just 10 days ago, Kyrie Irving was injured and the Mavs’ season went from terrible to worse. What now? (Sam Hodde/Getty Images)

The Dallas Mavericks had issues even before they traded Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers.

In the ultra-competitive Western Conference, led by a neighboring team sporting the best net rating of all time, Dallas had already fallen to eighth place. Dončić was injured and, even when healthy, playing below his standard and hardly in the best shape of his life.

Then came the trade that shook up the basketball world — and infuriated Mavs fans. Dallas GM Nico Harrison predicted, “When we win, I believe the frustration will go away.”

But the winning hasn’t come — at least not yet.

Anthony Davis got hurt in his first game in Dallas, and a month later, Kyrie Irving tore his left ACL.

The season appears lost.

But hope spring eternal, and perhaps the devastation of this season will become only a memory … if the Mavs can make the right moves.

So what can, and what should, Dallas do with its new roster, now that it’s no longer led by Luka?

Let’s take a cold, hard look at the Mavs’ situation, the future of Nico Harrison, and the potential paths for a franchise facing difficult decisions: