Mavericks open season at Houston under new coach Dusty May
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The gist
The Dallas Mavericks open their 2026-27 season at the Houston Rockets after going 26-56 last year.
New coach Dusty May and Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg lead the rebuild.
Background
The Dallas Mavericks are an NBA team that went 26-56 last season, finishing 12th in the Western Conference and missing the playoffs after a 3-10 start. Dusty May, hired less than three months after leading the Michigan Wolverines to an NCAA title, is making his NBA head-coaching debut. Cooper Flagg, the reigning Rookie of the Year, is the young centerpiece, and Masai Ujiri is in his first offseason as team president. The team is trying to climb back to relevance, with the season opener set for Oct. 21 at Houston.
How it unfolded
- Oct 14, 2026Dusty May coached the Mavericks in a preseason game against the New Orleans Pelicans at American Airlines Center in Dallas.
- Oct 17, 2026Dallas waived guards Seth Lundy and John Poulakidas and exercised the third-year rookie scale option on forward/guard Cooper Flagg.
- Oct 19, 2026The entire Mavericks organization held a community tip-off event at Halperin Park in South Dallas with more than 3,000 children and residents.
- Oct 20, 2026The Mavericks announced their season-long official watch party schedule, starting Oct. 21 at Happiest Hour for the opener against Houston.
- Oct 21, 2026Season opener at Toyota Center in Houston against the Rockets, 7:30 p.m. tip-off.
Who’s saying what
- Coach
- Dusty May said the keys to winning are the same at every level and that he wants players who play efficiently, calling the tough opening schedule a good thing.
- Player
- Cooper Flagg said the team has a new culture and new coach and is looking forward to changing the narrative and flipping the script back the right way.
- Community
- Halperin Park President and CEO April Allen said the Mavs coming to Oak Cliff to spend time, energy and resources is a testament to their commitment to community.
- Caution
- Mavs Moneyball framed the outlook around a lot of 'ifs,' including whether Flagg's second-year maturation and a healthy Kyrie Irving could lift the team.
Still unverified
SI reported that a decision on Dwight Powell to open a roster spot was still expected, saying 'we'll get that news at some point.'