2024–25 Dallas Mavericks season
2024–25 NBA season by team
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The 2024–25 Dallas Mavericks season was the 45th season for the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Mavericks would look to return to the NBA Finals following their 4–1 defeat to the championship winning Boston Celtics. On July 6, 2024, the Mavericks would complete a six-team sign-and-trade that saw them acquire four-time champion shooting guard Klay Thompson from the Golden State Warriors, breaking apart the Splash Brothers duo there in the process after 13 seasons. Before this season began, the Mavericks would also leave Bally Sports Southwest (later rebranded to FanDuel Sports Network Southwest as of October 21, 2024) in order to air games with TEGNA Inc. owned stations within the state of Texas.
Mark Cuban (minority)
| 2024–25 Dallas Mavericks season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Jason Kidd |
| President | Nico Harrison |
| General manager | Nico Harrison |
| Owner(s) | Miriam Adelson and Patrick Dumont (majority) Mark Cuban (minority) |
| Arena | American Airlines Center |
| Results | |
| Record | 39–43 (.476) |
| Place | Division: 3rd (Southwest) Conference: 10th (Western) |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
Stats at Basketball Reference | |
| Local media | |
| Television | TEGNA Inc.[a][1] |
| Radio | KEGL |
In the 2024 NBA Cup, the Mavericks finished with a group stage record of 3–1 and advanced to the knockout stage as the West wildcard by winning a point-differential tiebreaker over the Phoenix Suns, after a head-to-head tiebreaker loss to the Golden State Warriors relegated them to second place in West Group C. However, they were eliminated by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the quarterfinals.
On February 2, 2025, without warning, the Mavericks sent franchise superstar and perennial MVP candidate Luka Dončić, alongside Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris, to the Los Angeles Lakers in a controversial blockbuster trade, in return for Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a first-round pick. General manager Nico Harrison stated that the trade was meant to improve the team's defense, though it was leaked that the real reasons for the trade were Harrison's disapproval of Dončić's weight, and ownership's reluctance to pay Dončić the raise he would be owed soon, with Dončić being eligible for the super-max contract at the time and it being reported that he was reaching 270 pounds (120 kg) before the trade occurred. Regardless of the reasoning, Mavericks fans immediately decried the inexplicable trade of their beloved franchise player for an inferior and injury-prone Davis, and demanded the team fire Harrison as general manager. The move was considered by many outlets to be the most shocking and possibly worst of all time in sports history.
Davis suffered an adductor injury in his debut for the Mavericks on February 8, causing him to miss extended time and further fueling the rage of fans, who felt Harrison should have known Davis could not stay healthy and had essentially given away Dončić for nothing. Davis was out injured multiple times afterward, only playing a total of nine games for the Mavericks that season. Kyrie Irving also suffered a season-ending torn ACL on March 3, while several other Mavericks players were sidelined with injuries. By March 15, only eight players were considered healthy enough to play, which was the bare minimum number of players an NBA team is required to have active for games.[2] Just two days after the Dončić trade, the Mavs sent Quentin Grimes to the Philadelphia 76ers for Caleb Martin. These events led to a large amount of backlash from the fanbase, largely toward Nico Harrison and Patrick Dumont. The hate was so intense that fans began chanting hateful comments towards the staff and the team had to hire extra security to escort fans out of the home arena, with Harrison's personal information also being leaked online. Many NBA fans called the 2024–25 Mavericks season one of the saddest seasons across professional sports history, and some believed the team was cursed.[3][4]
On April 9, the Mavericks became the last Western Conference team to clinch a play-in spot following the Oklahoma City Thunder defeating the Phoenix Suns. They would win their first game on April 16 before falling to the Memphis Grizzlies in the second play-in game on April 18, ending their season and missing the playoffs for the first time since the 2022–23 season. They were also the first team since the 2019–20 Golden State Warriors to miss the playoffs after reaching the Finals the previous season.
Despite only having a 1.8% chance to receive the first overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft, they won the NBA draft lottery, becoming the second straight team to qualify for postseason play (by playing in the NBA play-in tournament) and win the draft lottery, after the 2023–24 Atlanta Hawks. Part of their break came from winning a coin flip over the Chicago Bulls that resulted in them staying at what would have initially been the eleventh pick in the draft before they won the lottery. The #1 pick allowed them to draft Cooper Flagg, who was ranked as a top prospect.[5]
Draft
| Round | Pick | Player | Position(s) | Nationality | College / Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 58 | Ariel Hukporti | C |  Germany |
MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg (Germany) |
The Mavericks entered this draft with a second-round pick, which they acquired from the Charlotte Hornets in 2024 and is originally owned by the Boston Celtics.[6][7] They had traded their 2024 first-round pick in 2019 to the New York Knicks as an exchange for Kristaps Porziņģis and their original 2024 second-round pick to the Sacramento Kings to acquire the draft rights to Jaden Hardy in 2022 before being used by Boston in the draft.
The Mavericks used their only selection to draft Hukporti, who would then be traded on draft day to New York with the draft rights to Petteri Koponen (who had previously retired from playing professional basketball in 2022 due to hip concerns) and cash considerations in exchange for the draft rights to Melvin Ajinça.[8]
Roster
| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Head coach
Assistant(s)
Legend
Roster |
Standings
Division
| Southwest Division | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y – Houston Rockets | 52 | 30 | .634 | – | 29–12 | 23–18 | 13–3 | 82 |
| x – Memphis Grizzlies | 48 | 34 | .585 | 4.0 | 26–15 | 22–19 | 11–5 | 82 |
| pi – Dallas Mavericks | 39 | 43 | .476 | 13.0 | 22–18 | 17–25 | 8–8 | 82 |
| San Antonio Spurs | 34 | 48 | .415 | 18.0 | 20–21 | 14–27 | 5–11 | 82 |
| New Orleans Pelicans | 21 | 61 | .256 | 31.0 | 14–27 | 7–34 | 3–13 | 82 |
Conference
| Western Conference | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP |
| 1 | z – Oklahoma City Thunder * | 68 | 14 | .829 | – | 82 |
| 2 | y – Houston Rockets * | 52 | 30 | .634 | 16.0 | 82 |
| 3 | y – Los Angeles Lakers * | 50 | 32 | .610 | 18.0 | 82 |
| 4 | x – Denver Nuggets | 50 | 32 | .610 | 18.0 | 82 |
| 5 | x – Los Angeles Clippers | 50 | 32 | .610 | 18.0 | 82 |
| 6 | x – Minnesota Timberwolves | 49 | 33 | .598 | 19.0 | 82 |
| 7 | x – Golden State Warriors | 48 | 34 | .585 | 20.0 | 82 |
| 8 | x – Memphis Grizzlies | 48 | 34 | .585 | 20.0 | 82 |
| 9 | pi – Sacramento Kings | 40 | 42 | .488 | 28.0 | 82 |
| 10 | pi – Dallas Mavericks | 39 | 43 | .476 | 29.0 | 82 |
| 11 | Phoenix Suns | 36 | 46 | .439 | 32.0 | 82 |
| 12 | Portland Trail Blazers | 36 | 46 | .439 | 32.0 | 82 |
| 13 | San Antonio Spurs | 34 | 48 | .415 | 34.0 | 82 |
| 14 | New Orleans Pelicans | 21 | 61 | .256 | 47.0 | 82 |
| 15 | Utah Jazz | 17 | 65 | .207 | 51.0 | 82 |
Game log
Preseason
| 2024 preseason game log Total: 1–3 (Home: 1–2; Road: 0–1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Preseason: 1–3 (home: 1–2; road: 0–1)
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| 2024–25 preseason schedule | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Regular season
The schedule was announced on August 15, 2024.[9]
| 2024–25 game log Total: 39–43 (Home: 22–18; Road: 17–25) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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October: 3–2 (home: 2–1; road: 1–1)
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November
: 9–6 (home: 5–2; road: 4–4)
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December: 8–5 (home: 3–2; road: 5–3)
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January: 6–10 (home: 4–5; road: 2–5)
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February: 6–5 (home: 5–1; road: 1–4)
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March: 5–11 (home: 1–6; road: 4–5)
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April: 2–4 (home: 2–1; road: 0–3)
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| 2024–25 season schedule | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Play-in
| 2025 play-in game log Total: 1–1 (Home: 0–0; Road: 1–1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Play-in: 1–1 (home: 0–0; road: 1–1)
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| 2024–25 season schedule | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NBA Cup
The groups were revealed during the tournament announcement on July 12, 2024.[10][11] The matchups were revealed on August 13, 2024.[12]
West Group C
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Golden State Warriors | 4 | 3 | 1 | 470 | 462 | +8 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | Dallas Mavericks | 4 | 3 | 1 | 493 | 447 | +46 | |
| 3 | Denver Nuggets | 4 | 2 | 2 | 455 | 449 | +6 | |
| 4 | Memphis Grizzlies | 4 | 1 | 3 | 464 | 475 | −11 | |
| 5 | New Orleans Pelicans | 4 | 1 | 3 | 409 | 458 | −49 |
| 2024–25 game log Total: 3–2 (Home: 2–0; Road: 1–2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
NBA Cup: 3–2 (home: 2–0; road: 1–2)
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Player statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
Regular season
After all games.[13]
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moses Brown | 4 | 2 | 18.3 | .724 | — | .833 | 7.8 | .5 | 1.0 | .8 | 11.8 |
| Max Christie≠ | 32 | 11 | 30.4 | .411 | .364 | .862 | 4.2 | 2.5 | .9 | .3 | 11.2 |
| Anthony Davis≠ | 9 | 9 | 29.6 | .461 | .233 | .688 | 10.1 | 4.4 | .6 | 2.2 | 20.0 |
| Spencer Dinwiddie | 79 | 30 | 27.0 | .416 | .334 | .802 | 2.6 | 4.4 | .9 | .2 | 11.0 |
| Luka Dončić‡ | 22 | 22 | 35.7 | .464 | .354 | .767 | 8.3 | 7.8 | 2.0 | .4 | 28.1 |
| Kessler Edwards | 40 | 18 | 15.2 | .496 | .407 | .923 | 2.9 | 1.1 | .5 | .5 | 4.2 |
| Dante Exum | 20 | 13 | 18.6 | .478 | .434 | .742 | 1.7 | 2.8 | .6 | .2 | 8.7 |
| Daniel Gafford | 57 | 31 | 21.5 | .702 | — | .689 | 6.8 | 1.4 | .4 | 1.8 | 12.3 |
| Jazian Gortman~ | 16 | 0 | 3.6 | .391 | .364 | .500 | .3 | .4 | .1 | .1 | 1.5 |
| Quentin Grimes~ | 47 | 12 | 22.8 | .463 | .398 | .765 | 3.8 | 2.1 | .7 | .2 | 10.2 |
| Jaden Hardy | 57 | 3 | 15.9 | .435 | .386 | .698 | 1.6 | 1.4 | .5 | .1 | 8.7 |
| Kyrie Irving | 50 | 50 | 36.1 | .473 | .401 | .916 | 4.8 | 4.6 | 1.3 | .5 | 24.7 |
| Kai Jones≠ | 12 | 6 | 21.7 | .836 | .333 | .700 | 6.6 | 1.3 | .8 | .8 | 11.4 |
| Kylor Kelley≠ | 8 | 1 | 8.4 | .769 | — | .667 | 2.6 | .3 | .0 | .3 | 3.0 |
| Maxi Kleber‡ | 34 | 4 | 18.7 | .385 | .265 | .762 | 2.8 | 1.3 | .3 | .5 | 3.0 |
| Dereck Lively II | 36 | 29 | 23.1 | .702 | — | .630 | 7.5 | 2.4 | .6 | 1.6 | 8.7 |
| Naji Marshall | 69 | 31 | 27.8 | .508 | .275 | .813 | 4.8 | 3.0 | 1.0 | .2 | 13.2 |
| Caleb Martin≠ | 14 | 0 | 19.6 | .389 | .250 | .625 | 2.9 | 1.9 | .9 | .2 | 5.4 |
| Markieff Morris | 7 | 0 | 5.9 | .227 | .154 | — | 1.1 | .6 | .1 | .1 | 1.7 |
| Dwight Powell | 55 | 3 | 10.0 | .689 | .400 | .651 | 2.1 | 1.0 | .3 | .4 | 2.1 |
| Olivier-Maxence Prosper | 52 | 4 | 11.2 | .402 | .235 | .645 | 2.4 | .8 | .5 | .1 | 3.9 |
| Klay Thompson | 72 | 72 | 27.3 | .412 | .391 | .905 | 3.4 | 2.0 | .7 | .4 | 14.0 |
| P. J. Washington≠ | 57 | 56 | 32.2 | .453 | .381 | .722 | 7.8 | 2.3 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 14.7 |
| Brandon Williams | 33 | 3 | 14.8 | .521 | .400 | .833 | 1.8 | 2.3 | .7 | .2 | 8.3 |
‡Traded during the season
≠Acquired during the season
~Waived during the season
Transactions
Trades
| June 27, 2024[14] | To Dallas Mavericks Draft rights to Melvin Ajinça (No. 51) |
To New York Knicks Draft rights to Ariel Hukporti (No. 58) Draft rights to Petteri Koponen (2007 No. 30) Cash considerations |
| July 6, 2024[15] | To Dallas Mavericks Quentin Grimes |
To Detroit Pistons Tim Hardaway Jr. 2025 second-round pick 2028 second-round pick 2028 second-round pick |
| July 6, 2024[16][17] | Six-team trade | |
| To Dallas Mavericks Klay Thompson (from Golden State) 2025 GSW second-round pick (from Golden State) |
To Charlotte Hornets Josh Green (from Dallas) Reggie Jackson (from Denver) 2029 DEN second-round pick (from Denver) 2030 DEN second-round pick (from Denver) | |
| To Denver Nuggets Cash considerations (from Charlotte) |
To Golden State Warriors Kyle Anderson (from Minnesota) Buddy Hield (from Philadelphia) | |
| To Minnesota Timberwolves 2025 DEN second-round pick (from Golden State via Charlotte) 2031 second-round pick swap (from Golden State) Cash considerations (from Golden State) |
To Philadelphia 76ers 2031 DAL second-round pick (from Golden State via Dallas) | |
| February 2, 2025[18][19] | Three-team trade | |
To Dallas Mavericks
|
To Los Angeles Lakers
| |
To Utah Jazz
| ||
| February 4, 2025[20] | To Dallas Mavericks Caleb Martin |
To Philadelphia 76ers Quentin Grimes 2025 second-round pick |
Free agency
Re-signed
| Player | Signed | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| Brandon Williams | July 12 | [21] |
| Markieff Morris | September 12 | [22] |
Additions
| Player | Date | Former team | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Naji Marshall | July 6 | New Orleans Pelicans | [23] |
| Jazian Gortman | July 13 | Rip City Remix | [24] |
| Emanuel Miller | TCU Horned Frogs | ||
| Spencer Dinwiddie | August 3 | Los Angeles Lakers | [25] |
| Jamarion Sharp | Ole Miss Rebels | ||
| Kessler Edwards | August 8 | Sacramento Kings | [26] |
| A. J. Lawson | October 11 | Dallas Mavericks | [27] |
| Jamir Chaplin | October 18 | Little Rock Trojans | [28] |
| Jarod Lucas | Nevada Wolf Pack | ||
| Kylor Kelley | January 25 | South Bay Lakers | [29] |
| Moses Brown | February 20 (10-day) | Westchester Knicks | [30] |
| Kai Jones | March 3 | Los Angeles Clippers | [31] |
Subtractions
| Player | Date | New team | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Derrick Jones Jr. | July 10 | Los Angeles Clippers | [32] |
| Alex Fudge | August 8 | South Bay Lakers | [26] |
| Greg Brown III | September 11 | Mexico City Capitanes | [33] |
| A. J. Lawson | October 8 | Dallas Mavericks (TW) | [34] |
| A. J. Lawson | October 18 | Toronto Raptors | [35] |
| Emanuel Miller | Texas Legends | ||
| Jamarion Sharp | Texas Legends | ||
| Jamir Chaplin | October 19 | [36] | |
| Jarod Lucas | Texas Legends | ||
| Jazian Gortman | January 25 | Texas Legends | [29] |
| Kylor Kelley | March 3 | South Bay Lakers | [37] |
Awards
| Player | Award | Date awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Luka Dončić | Western Conference Player of the Week | December 2–8,[38] |
Notes
- Affiliates all within the state of Texas include:
WFAA (Dallas/Fort Worth)
KFAA-TV (Dallas/Decatur/Fort Worth)
KCEN (Killeen/Temple/Waco)
KAGS-LD (Bryan/College Station)
KYTX (Jacksonville/Longview/Lufkin/Nacogdoches/Tyler)
KWES-TV (Midland/Odessa)
KXVA (Abilene)
KIDY (San Angelo)