{"id":133647,"date":"2025-09-10T20:52:12","date_gmt":"2025-09-10T20:52:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/133647\/"},"modified":"2025-09-10T20:52:12","modified_gmt":"2025-09-10T20:52:12","slug":"projecting-where-dallas-mavericks-will-finish-in-the-southwest-division-in-2025-26","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/133647\/","title":{"rendered":"Projecting where Dallas Mavericks will finish in the Southwest Division in 2025-26"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Southwest division of the Western Conference got significantly better over the offseason.<\/p>\n

It all starts with the Texas Triangle, also known as the Dallas Mavericks<\/a>, Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs.<\/p>\n

The Mavericks reloaded their roster with the improbable addition of No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg<\/a> and improved backcourt depth with veteran guard D\u2019Angelo Russell. They\u2019ll complement a roster highlighted by Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson, along with key frontcourt pieces P.J. Washington, Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II.<\/p>\n

Forward Kevin Durant, a 15-time NBA All-Star, brought his talents from the dry desert of Phoenix to Houston<\/a>. The Rockets also added wing depth with former Mavericks forward Dorian Finney-Smith<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Mavericks<\/p>\n

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San Antonio will return with Victor Wembanyama and De\u2019Aaron Fox, along with last season\u2019s Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle and the No. 2 overall draft pick, Dylan Harper.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s not forget about the Memphis Grizzlies, who officially kicked off this summer\u2019s trade season by dealing former TCU<\/a> star Desmond Bane to the Orlando Magic for a handful of first-round draft picks and veteran wing Kentavious-Caldwell Pope.<\/p>\n

New Orleans, which finished last in the Southwest, added Jordan Poole in the offseason to pair with Zion Williamson and Dejounte Murray.<\/p>\n

The Southwest finished the 2024-25 season as the weakest division in the West, with only two teams over .500 \u2014 the Rockets and Grizzlies. Houston was the only team to reach the 50-win mark. Meanwhile, the Northwest and Pacific each had three teams finish with winning records, and two 50-win teams apiece.<\/p>\n

Despite the division\u2019s collective success, there are plenty of dynamic players within the Southwest. This season\u2019s matchups between the five squads should be as competitive as any other division in the NBA.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a preview of what to expect this season in the Southwest division.<\/p>\n

\"Phoenix<\/p>\n

Phoenix Suns’ Kevin Durant (35) dribbles past Dallas Mavericks forward Derrick Jones Jr. during the first half of an NBA basketball game, on Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024, at American Airlines Center in Dallas. <\/p>\n

Shafkat Anowar \/ Staff Photographer<\/p>\n

Key additions<\/p>\n

Kevin Durant, Rockets<\/p>\n

One of the sport\u2019s most pure scorers will bring his veteran leadership to a Rockets team hoping he\u2019s the final piece they need to be a championship contender. Houston desperately needed a go-to scorer to pair with Alperen Sengun, Fred VanVleet and Amen Thompson. With Durant, who is positioned to become an unrestricted free agent next summer, the Rockets could challenge Oklahoma City\u2019s standing as the best team in the West.<\/p>\n

Cooper Flagg, Mavericks<\/p>\n

Mavs fans were dealt a shocking blow when Luka Doncic was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. Some of that sadness turned to joy when Dallas won the lottery and selected Flagg<\/a> with the first pick in this year\u2019s draft. He\u2019s expected to add to a team positioned to make the playoffs, and perhaps even compete for a championship, if healthy. A versatile two-way wing with an exceptional basketball IQ was the ultimate consolation prize for last year\u2019s playoff absence. The Mavericks believe Flagg will be able to help change their fortunes this season and for years to come.<\/p>\n

Dylan Harper, Spurs<\/p>\n

The Spurs have a budding superstar in Wembanyama, an All-Star caliber point guard in Fox and plenty of young talent to help the dynamic duo. Harper, who is recovering from surgery to repair a partially torn collateral ligament in his left thumb on his shooting hand, is expected to be a pivotal piece for the Spurs, who open the season in Dallas for the second consecutive year<\/a>. Harper joins a crowded backcourt with Fox and Castle, but there should be ample opportunity for him to showcase his athleticism and ability to score.<\/p>\n

Jordan Poole, Pelicans<\/p>\n

Poole is coming off a career season in scoring, averaging 20.5 points in his second year with the Washington Wizards. He\u2019ll join a backcourt with Murray to bolster the offense and try to help the Pelicans climb out of the division\u2019s pit. Consistency will make Poole\u2019s time in New Orleans fruitful. If he\u2019s able to take some of the offensive load off of Williamson, perhaps the Pelicans can have their star forward healthy enough to make the playoffs.<\/p>\n

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Grizzlies<\/p>\n

Caldwell-Pope should be able to slide into the Grizzlies\u2019 vacancy at shooting guard alongside Ja Morant to provide perimeter shooting and perimeter defense. The veteran journeyman might not seem like the best fit, especially coming off an uncharacteristic shooting season, but he could be a solid rotation piece for Memphis.<\/p>\n

\"Memphis<\/p>\n

Memphis Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane and TCU alum holds up a mic during his jersey retirement at halftime at a men\u2019s college basketball game against Texas Tech at Ed & Rae Schollmaier Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025.<\/p>\n

Liz Rymarev \/ Staff Photographer<\/p>\n

Key departures<\/p>\n

Desmond Bane, Magic<\/p>\n

Bane was surprisingly traded to Orlando this offseason after spending five seasons in Memphis. The Magic desperately needed to address their offensive deficiencies, and Bane should be able to diversify their approach with 3-point shooting. He boasts a career 41% clip from 3 and will become the new co-star to Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner.<\/p>\n

Jalen Green, Suns<\/p>\n

Once depicted as the future face of the Rockets, Green finds himself as Devin Booker\u2019s new backcourtmate. The explosive fifth-year guard will join a Phoenix team that blew up its Big 3 featuring Durant and Bradley Beal. After a disappointing season without a playoff appearance, the Suns will try to pivot behind Booker and Green.<\/p>\n

Chris Paul, Clippers<\/p>\n

Paul, who spent one season as a mentor for Wembanyama and the youthful Spurs, will return to Los Angeles for what could be a storybook conclusion to his lengthy career. The 21-year veteran will likely serve as the backup point guard to James Harden. The Clippers have plenty of experience and will try to use their veteran-heavy roster to compete in the West.<\/p>\n

\"San<\/p>\n

San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) wins the opening tipoff against Dallas Mavericks center Daniel Gafford (21) during the first half of an NBA basketball game at American Airlines Center on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, in Dallas.<\/p>\n

Smiley N. Pool \/ Staff Photographer<\/p>\n

Must-watch games for Mavericks<\/p>\n

Spurs at Mavs, Oct. 22: The Mavericks will get their first chance to face a divisional opponent in their season opener at American Airlines Center. There are plenty of storylines, including Davis vs. Wembanyama and No. 1 pick Flagg vs. No. 2 pick Harper, which will only apply if the second overall pick is healthy enough to play.<\/p>\n

Mavs at Grizzlies, Nov. 7: Dallas\u2019 season came to an end against the Grizzlies during the second game of the Play-In tournament. Their first matchup of the 2025-26 season will also be the Mavericks\u2019 first game of the NBA Cup, which will be on the road at FedEx Forum.<\/p>\n

Mavs @ Rockets, Jan. 31: This season\u2019s series between the Mavericks and Rockets may be the most anticipated in the division. Both teams are loaded with talent, depth and feature four future Hall of Famers (Davis, Durant, Irving, Thompson). This game will be in primetime on a Saturday, televised by ABC.<\/p>\n

Predicted order of finishHoustonDallasMemphisNew OrleansSan Antonio<\/p>\n

X\/Twitter: @MikeACurtis2<\/a><\/p>\n

Find more Mavericks coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Southwest division of the Western Conference got significantly better over the offseason. It all starts with the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":133648,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[557],"tags":[92379,16107,4225,64,63,5663,7235,14231,13798,27323,590,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-133647","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nba","8":"tag-american-airlines-center","9":"tag-anthony-davis","10":"tag-article","11":"tag-au","12":"tag-australia","13":"tag-cooper-flagg","14":"tag-dallas-mavericks","15":"tag-klay-thompson","16":"tag-kyrie-irving","17":"tag-mavericks","18":"tag-nba","19":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133647","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=133647"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133647\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/133648"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=133647"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=133647"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=133647"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}