The Dallas Mavericks have the best frontcourt in basketball

The Mavericks’ talent-rich frontcourt has them in discussions as championship contenders, but the lack of backcourt depth may be standing in their way

The Dallas Mavericks kicked off a new world order on Wednesday night when they drafted Cooper Flagg. Less than 24 hours later, Shams Charania appeared on ESPN’s Get Up to make some bold proclamations. With Flagg, Anthony Davis, P.J. Washington, Naji Marshall, Dereck Lively and Daniel Gafford, Charania feels Dallas boasts “arguably the best front line in the NBA.”

On paper, it’s a difficult stance to argue with. Davis is a Hall-of-Famer-to-be, backed up by a defensive-minded two-headed center monster and versatile wing players. At least on the defensive end, that is one of the scarier lineups you’ll find.

Even more intriguing was Charania’s follow-up comments regarding Dallas as a championship contender once Kyrie Irving returns from injury. He wasn’t alone, either. Former Maverick Markieff Morris took part in the same segment, backing up the notion that Dallas could compete for a title this year.

All of this of course begs the simple question: is championship contention a legitimate expectation? Two general notions have become apparent. The Mavs look to be keeping Washington and Gafford, and they don’t look to be players in Draft-related trades (preferring instead to look toward Dante Exum and D’Angelo Russell for backcourt help). With Flagg expected to handle the ball with frequency and even initiate the offense, and Washington playing in a contract year, the Mavs could end up with a starting lineup of Russell, Flagg, Washington, Davis and Lively. That’s four excellent defenders and one sub-par defender. That’s also three forwards. This is all to say nothing of Klay Thompson moving to the bench. That’s a lot to unpack.

Ultimately, the team is flush with talent in the frontcourt, but Jason Kidd is going to have his work cut out in attempting to make all the pieces fit. None of us were in the gym when Flagg worked out for the Mavericks, so it’s quite possible he demonstrated point forward skills he didn’t have a chance to display in college. If that’s the case, maybe the lineup starts to make sense. There may also be a trade coming to balance things out a bit. Absent that, the 2025-2026 Mavericks are going to be an unconventional squad, at least on paper. They are going to need a competent starter-level point guard that can easily segue to the bench once Irving returns. They also need to find a way to make Flagg and Washington work together in the starting lineup, which will in turn see Klay Thompson move to the bench. At full strength, the Mavs will have veteran leadership, championship experience, and talented youth. Time will tell if that will be enough to make the pieces mesh into a championship contender this season.