Mavericks fans are still seething from the Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis trade that sent shockwaves throughout the NBA last season. However, their vitriol towards the management has slightly toned down in the past few weeks due to the arrival of Cooper Flagg.
After sending Doncic to the Lakers last February, the Mavericks eventually received the top overall pick of this summer’s draft, despite having one of the lowest NBA 2025 odds in the lottery. This development drew conspiracy theories, but Dallas’ front office gladly took the rare opportunity.
Meanwhile, the Kings recently confirmed that one of their young forwards is set to miss the early part of the 2025-26 season due to a hand injury, and the team has also been linked to a potential free agent signing of a former league MVP.
As the new campaign draws nearer, SBOTOP has you covered with the latest NBA 2025 updates.
Mavericks got a gem in Flagg
Despite losing Luka Doncic, the Mavericks are widely considered one of the dark horse contenders in the Western Conference because of the shrewd moves they’ve made this offseason, such as the acquisition of Cooper Flagg.
Listed at 6’9″ and 205 pounds, Flagg is a small forward, but he can play and guard almost all five positions on the court. The 18-year-old swingman is also athletic and plays maturely, and head coach Jason Kidd has the luxury to utilise him however he sees fit.
After playing as a forward in the Mavericks’ first two preseason matches, the team made the unconventional decision to deploy Flagg as the point guard in their 114-101 win against the Jazz. He finished with 11 points, seven rebounds, two steals, and two blocks, but only shot 3-for-13 from the field across 21 minutes. Despite his rough shooting night, Flagg’s defence suggests he’ll be a valuable asset for Dallas, regardless of the position he plays. Don’t be surprised if Flagg plays more point guard this season to help mitigate the injury loss to Kyrie Irving.
Dallas are fairly stacked in frontcourt. Besides Flagg, the team also has Anthony Davis, PJ Washington, Dereck Lively II, Daniel Gafford, Naji Marshall, Caleb Martin, and Dwight Powell. Their backcourt isn’t so bad either, as they still have Kyrie Irving, D’Angelo Russell, Klay Thompson, Max Christie, Dante Exum, and Jaden Hardy.
Kings suffer injury blow to the frontcourt
It was recently confirmed that Kings forward Keegan Murray will not play the first few games of the 2025-26 season after suffering a torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his left thumb during a preseason defeat against the Blazers last Friday. The 25-year-old swingman had surgery last Monday and will be re-evaluated in four to six weeks, similar to LeBron James’ case (due to sciatica).
This is a big blow not only to the Kings but also to Murray, who’s entering the final year of his rookie contract. Entering his fourth NBA season, Murray is eligible for a contract extension, and he’ll enter restricted free agency next summer if he doesn’t agree to a new deal with Sacramento on October 20.
Before this, Murray rarely missed games, appearing in 233 of a possible 246 in his first three seasons as Sacramento’s regular starting power forward. He is one of the team’s reliable 3-and-D players, having averaged 13.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.4 assists on 45/37/81 shooting clips in his career thus far.
With Murray sidelined, Dario Saric, Malik Monk, Keon Ellis, and rookie Nique Clifford are among the candidates to take his place in the starting lineup, joining Dennis Schroder, Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Domantas Sabonis.
This preseason, the Kings dropped their first two matches against the Raptors (130-122) and the Blazers (124-123). They are scheduled to face the Clippers on Wednesday evening.
Still no takers for former NBA MVP
The new NBA season is a little over a week away, but Russell Westbrook is still without a team. The one-time league MVP remains an unrestricted free agent after opting out of his $3.4 million player option with the Nuggets this summer.
Westbrook is fresh from a productive 2024-25 campaign with Denver, having averaged 13.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 6.1 assists, and 1.4 steals on 44.9-per cent shooting from the field across 75 regular season appearances (36 starts), serving as their sixth man.
Although he has not yet signed with a team, several reports have linked Westbrook to the Kings, given their lack of point guard depth. According to ESPN insider Shams Charania, there is “mutual interest” between the two sides.
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