NBA 2K26 unveils its Top 100, and the Dallas Mavericks punch three players into the elite group: Anthony Davis sits at No. 12 with a 93 overall, Kyrie Irving is right behind at No. 24 with a 90, and Cooper Flagg, the No. 1 pick in the draft, lands at No. 79 with an 82. Flagg earns a special nod as the game’s top rookie, surpassing Dylan Harper by four points. The list also notes that PJ Washington, Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford did not crack the Top 100 this year.

Irving’s ACL rehab will shape early-season usage, while Davis is anticipated to shoulder Mavericks’ heavy lifting as the primary option. Lively II and Gafford are highlighted as solid shot-blocking talents (both at 91), and the game assigns Jokic and Curry standout mid-range and ball-handling benchmarks. Irving’s ball-handling reaches 99; Jokic sits at 98 mid-range, while Thompson checks in with 89 from deep. The release schedule lands Sept. 5 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC, with early access on Aug. 29 for deluxe versions. Dallas fans also get a preseason test versus Oklahoma City in Fort Worth ahead of the full launch.

Dereck Lively II return from foot surgery puts the Mavericks on track to lean into his rim-protecting, transition-grade ceiling. At 7’1” with a 7’7” wingspan, he already flashed defensive atery and enough finishing ability to anchor Dallas’s interior. With full health entering training camp, the 21-year-old is in line to anchor a Dallas defense and push toward an elite tier at center as he grows into a keystone piece.

Anthony Davis’s addition reshapes the ceiling and the floor. Pairing Davis with Lively could yield one of the league’s most disruptive frontcourts, erasing mistakes and clogging the paint while enabling faster transition scoring. The dynamic offers Lively daily tutelage under one of the game’s premier defenders, potentially cementing a future defensive identity for Dallas and boosting postseason viability.

Healthy, developed, and surrounded by defensive versatility, Lively isn’t just a project—he could become a cornerstone whose impact ripples across Dallas’s lineup and heading into the next NBA season.

Dallas enters a season defined by potential and pressure, betting on Kyrie Irving’s return, Anthony Davis anchoring the frontcourt, and Cooper Flagg stepping into a rookie-ready role. The trio blends veteran playmaking, two-way defense, and versatile multi-positional tools, giving Dallas one of the NBA’s most intriguing paths to relevance. Chemistry becomes the linchpin: if Irving’s ACL recovery and Flagg’s rapid acclimation align, the Mavericks could morph from a work in progress into a postseason threat by spring.

Davis provides a veteran two-way anchor and a steadying presence for Flagg as he learns the league’s speed. Flagg’s Duke numbers—nearly 20 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game—signal a modern, ball-handling forward who thrives without being the offense’s only driver. Yet timing matters: healthy, cohesive minutes must be carved out quickly to maximize late-season impact.

ESPN’s panel has tempered expectations, with a sizable share predicting two or fewer playoff series in their first run together, citing health and experience. Still, Irving’s shot creation, Davis’s defense, and Flagg’s adaptability offer a rare blend of experience and youth. If minutes are managed wisely and roles clarified, Dallas could become one of the league’s toughest outs come spring.

In sum, talent isn’t Dallas’s ceiling—it’s the timing of that talent. A fast, well-constructed chemistry wave could turn the Mavericks into a legitimate playoff disruptor, while delays could keep them competing for a March surge rather than a long postseason run.

Luka Doncic joined the Los Angeles Lakers, pairing him with LeBron James in a blockbuster shift that sent Anthony Davis to Dallas. The Lakers surged to the No. 3 seed behind a dynamic two-star punch and disciplined coaching chatter around JJ Redick. A first-round exit to Minnesota tempered the excitement, but the pairing signaled a reimagined window for Los Angeles in the near term.

Doncic’s EuroBasket stint with Slovenia included a right knee contusion that briefly stirred worry. Marc Stein later indicated the injury isn’t serious, easing fantasy concerns. Across 2024-25 combined play for Mavericks and Lakers, Doncic logged elite numbers—near 28 PPG with robust boards and assists—showing he’s still the focal point as LeBron edges toward the closing chapters of his illustrious career.

In the backdrop, Slovenia battling Latvia and the ongoing momentum of the Lakers’ roster drama kept fans attentive to Doncic’s health and usage. The season underscored Doncic’s franchise-anchoring value while the Lakers recalibrate around him, a narrative that fantasy managers will be watching closely as LA plots its path through a crowded Western Conference.

Overall, Doncic remains a fantasy force, and his Lakers chapter adds a fresh layer of intrigue for drafts, especially as LeBron’s workload and surrounding cast shape weekly decision-making. The summer chatter about the Redick era and the Davis swap only heightens the stakes for 2025-26 fantasy planning.

Mavericks at Lakers on February 12 isn’t just a marquee clash; it’s a deliberate bridge to All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles. The NBA ties a high-profile game to the events unfolding across two LA arenas, turning Thursday night into the unofficial kickoff for elite-week festivities. Amazon Prime will stream the game, signaling a widening broadcast footprint beyond traditional outlets and hinting at the fantasy and betting implications of a weekend that bleeds into Dallas and LA in one sweep.

LA hosts the spectacle with two teams and two arenas—Lakers at Crypto.com Arena and Clippers at Intuit Dome—creating a city-wide hub of energy that should shorten commutes for top weekend players like Anthony Davis and Cooper Flagg. Dallas’ own storyline centers on Luka Doncic, whose much-anticipated return and the Texas showdown narrative set the table for big early-season moves in fantasy lineups and daily-betting angles as the league leans into a TV-driven spectacle.

Texas showdowns, Doncic’s re-emergence, and the All-Star ambience collide to create fresh fantasy pivots and risk-reward considerations. This isn’t just a schedule quirk; it’s a crafted moment where performance, travel, and broadcast value intersect, elevating the Mavericks-Lakers clash from a standalone game to a cornerstone event that resonates through DFS, season-long projections, and wager-hedging narratives as the season accelerates toward All-Star weekend.