The Dallas Mavericks have probably been one of the more controversial teams in the 2025 calendar year, and they've been under as much backlash as anyone in the NBA. After giving away Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis, Mavs faithful is depending on Davis to deliver just like he did back in the 2020 NBA Finals. Of course, the Lakers and Miami Heat were playing in the bubble, but Anthony Davis asked for a new identity, and the Mavs are more than accepting of it as they have doubled down on their new double-big approach, and Davis gets to play his preferred position of power forward.
With the NBA schedule coming out, it looks like the NBA is still marking the Mavs in the exclusive category, with 23 nationally televised games between ESPN, ABC, NBC, and Prime Video. Prime Video will be the new, awkward network in everything, but they won't be strangers to much, considering the fact that Al Michaels and Kirk Herbstreit already call games for Thursday Night Football. NBC will be what every NBA fan is looking forward to come opening day, especially with Roundball Rock coming back.
The Mavs aren't going anywhere, and it looks that way in the NBA's schedule release. It will never take back trading away the face of the city, but the Cooper Flagg hype is real, and the NBA schedule makes it almost comparable to when LeBron James entered the NBA.
NBA didn't miss a beat scheduling the new look Mavericks on national TV
The Mavs have the tenth most national TV games in the NBA next season, and with how the NBA media can be today, it's important to get their names out. It seems like it doesn't matter that Doncic is a thing of the past, because Flagg is here to take over. Even though fans will always be heartbroken by the Doncic trade, there's no denying that Flagg is NBA-ready.
The Mavs will get a similar first look as last season when they saw Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs come into town for their 2024 debut. The Mavs will have the same to look forward to, but instead, it won't be on TNT, but on ESPN on a Wednesday night on October 22. The Flagg-Wemby rivalry will be something to look forward to in the future, and only because both guys will eventually be fighting for MVP trophies, just like Dirk Nowitzki and Tim Duncan were back in the day.
The NBA is telling us that the Mavs are still one of the most exciting teams in the NBA by giving them this many games on national TV, and that it doesn't matter that Doncic is no longer a Maverick. Flagg, being a gifted rookie along with practicing with Team USA players last summer, shows that he's not afraid of the moment, and he'll be ready to be under the spotlight that the NBA has already given the Mavericks.
NBA fans were pretty hype about Wembanyama, and now, they have every reason to be pumped up about Flagg. Even though Kyrie Irving will still miss half the season with an ACL injury, the NBA is telling us that the Mavs are in good hands against some of the more elite teams in the league, and the entire country will be watching.
This is exactly what Mavs fans wanted, and not just because they don't get to watch as many games on KFAA, but the fact that the NBA is looking at the Mavs as a legitimate contender.