Irving aims to make a comeback in January next year! The Mavericks top priority will introduce point guards, and the two strong players will become trading chips

On May 15, according to famous reporter Shams, Irving, who has a torn ACL, aims to make a comeback in January next year, and before that, the Mavericks need a qualified point guard, and they are expected to complete this reinforcement this summer.

"As far as I know, the Mavericks will be chasing a point guard," Shams revealed. "This is their top priority whether through the trading market or the free agent market. Irving aims to make a comeback around January next year, and we will wait and see how they can find a plug-and-play point guard."

As the Mavericks get Davis through the trade and pick Flagg, the team's frontcourt depth has increased sharply, with Gafford and PJ-Washington becoming potential trading chips. In the 2024-25 season, Gafford played 57 regular season games, averaging 12.3 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game, and shooting percentage of 70.2%. Washington played 57 regular season games, averaging 14.7 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game, shooting percentage of 45.3% and three-point shooting percentage of 38.1%.

Although Cooper Flag was obviously shocked when the lottery results were announced, according to ESPN sources, he was "excited" to join the Mavericks - Dallas counterattacked with a probability of only 1.8%. Sources pointed out that Flag's team quickly realized the advantage of joining a playoff-level team with mature veterans: there is a clear need for the Mavericks in the small forward position, and Flag can fill this void immediately. The team expects him to take on important offensive tasks as a rookie, similar to his role at Duke, and this training method will help him adapt to the long-term growth of NBA-level confrontation.

It is reported that the Mavericks will not accept any trade offer for Flag and plan to form a core lineup with Davis (and Irving, who is expected to recover from injury). Despite the injury setbacks of Irving, the Mavericks still plan to renew their contract with him, hoping to create a championship-winning three-time champion consisting of Davis, Flagg and Irving.

It is worth mentioning that the Mavericks jumped 10 picks in the lottery, a feat that tied the largest leap record in NBA lottery history set by the Orlando Magic in 1993.