The Dallas Mavericks received a painful reminder this week of just how dramatically their trajectory has shifted over the past three years, as both of the franchise’s former cornerstones were honored as NBA Players of the Week while thriving elsewhere.
Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic and New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson earned the Week 6 awards for the 2025-26 season, underscoring not only their individual brilliance but also the steep cost of Dallas‘ recent roster decisions.
Luka dominated the Western Conference with averages of 37.3 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 10.3 assists, continuing to justify the Lakers‘ blockbuster decision to acquire him in February 2025 in a trade that sent Anthony Davis to Dallas. Brunson claimed the Eastern Conference honor after posting 28.8 points per game with 4.4 assists on 40.7 percent shooting, further cementing his status as the unquestioned leader of a Knicks team that is surging near the top of the standings.
The Mavericks latest struggles
Meanwhile, the Mavericks are struggling to stay afloat, sitting at 6-15 and buried in 12th place in the Western Conference as the season nears its quarter mark. The irony is difficult to miss. Brunson first emerged as a star in Dallas during the 2022 playoffs, when he helped lead the Mavericks to the Western Conference Finals alongside Doncic.
That run should have marked the beginning of a long-term partnership, but instead it became the closing chapter of Brunson‘s tenure with the franchise. The Mavericks allowed him to walk in free agency that summer, and he signed with the Knicks, where he has since developed into one of the most reliable guards in the league.
Three years later, Dallas doubled down on drastic change by trading Doncic, the face of the franchise and one of the most productive players in basketball, to the Lakers in exchange for Davis. Those decisions are now coming into sharper focus. Doncic has immediately elevated the Lakers into title contention, while Brunson continues to be the engine behind New York‘s resurgence as an Eastern Conference threat.
The brutal consequences for Dallas
At the same time, the Mavericks are left trying to piece together an identity built around uncertainty. Kyrie Irving is currently sidelined as he works his way back from injury, and Davis‘ long history of durability concerns has once again become a central issue, leaving Dallas thin on dependable star power on a nightly basis.
There is hope on the horizon in the form of rookie Cooper Flagg, who has already shown flashes of becoming a foundational player in the league. His development gives the Mavericks a legitimate building block for the future, but one promising young star is rarely enough to bridge the gap between lottery-level struggles and true contention.
To even approach the level they once occupied with Doncic and Brunson in the backcourt, Dallas will need a significant infusion of complementary talent, stability, and long-term health. For now, the contrast is unavoidable. The Lakers and Knicks are climbing, fueled by two former Mavericks who were once expected to anchor the franchise for a decade. Dallas, meanwhile, is left watching from near the bottom of the West, trying to justify a series of moves that have reshaped its future in the most uncertain way possible.
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