The Dallas Mavericks are diving head-first into a 2026-27 season offering but one promise:
They've got to be better than they were last year ... right?
This has been an offseason filled with changes - from administration to roster to practice courts - that have almost (just almost) distracted fans from the Mavs' two straight years finishing outside the playoffs ...
A trend triggered by the infamous trade that sent Luka Doncic to the Lakers and sent the franchise spiraling.
But ... as the Mavs are set to open on Wednesday at Houston to begin the regular season?
Defending Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg enters Year 2 with sky-high expectations and the keys to the team in hand. The 19-year-old is thought to be the force that steadies this ship in a competitive Western Conference ... but frankly, Flagg's emergence as a superstar still may not be enough to get Dallas back to the postseason.
Here are the rest of the key storylines centered on the Mavericks as basketball season returns.
Other key storylines for a team trying to bounce back from a 26-win campaign?
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Welcome Back, Kai!
Kyrie Irving is healthy after sitting the entirety of the 2025-26 year while recovering from a torn ACL.
Irving's stamina and playmaking will be crucial to lift a weight of responsibility off Flagg's shoulders, and how much the two work off one another will dictate a large portion of the Mavs' competitiveness ... which will be evaluated early as Irving's future with the organization looms in its balance.
New Leadership
Masai Ujiri is president of basketball operations. Mike Schmitz is in at general manager. Dusty May is the head coach. And 17 more front office moves make up a new-look team of Mavericks decision-makers entering a new season.
We've already begun to learn about Ujiri's intentions through his busy offseason of roster building, but May's style will be particularly interesting to watch as the season unfolds.
Ujiri's opening statement to begin his media day presser: "I know there's been a lot of changes ... Changes are sometimes hard, but we hope that changes are for the good. We feel a new energy...We are trying to bring joy back to basketball in this city."
New Players
On the court, the Mavs' roster features six newcomers (three of which are rookies) to replace the seven players departing from last year's team.
The frontcourt is especially crowded. Next to the rehabbing Dereck Lively, May is tasked with managing a rotation for centers Daniel Gafford and Moussa Cisse, and forwards Flagg, No. 9 overall pick Morez Johnson Jr., stretch-big Santi Aldama, P.J. Washington, and other, versatile pieces.
Behind Irving there is less certainty, but potentially some room for creativity. Former No. 1 overall pick Zaccarie Risacher figures as a potential starter after coming over from Atlanta in a trade. Marcus Sasser joins his hometown team as a backup point guard, along with first-round Spanish rookie Sergio de Larrea. Max Christie's perimeter shooting and Naji Marshall's deadly floater both return.
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May has stated that he's uncertain of what his starting lineup and rotations might be. Maybe that goes hand-in-hand with what oddsmakers think of this team, as they predict a 36-win season.
That's a 10-game upgrade from a year ago ... with Dallas hoping there's more "joy'' and less "pain'' on the way to beating those odds.