Our GOAT pyramid saga continues again this week with another installment of our popular and riveting series. This week, the team of discussion will be the Dallas Mavericks, who made their NBA debut during the 1980-81 season and have gone on to become one of the more popular brands in the NBA over the last 40-plus years, as evidenced by their tremendous attendance.
The Mavericks won one NBA championship in their franchise’s history in 2011, led by the most iconic player in franchise history, but that will be revealed later. Dallas has also made 24 overall playoff appearances and two NBA Finals appearances, and boasts an overall winning percentage of 50.5% as a franchise. As they continue to build up their team history led by one of the more popular owners in the game, Mark Cuban, let’s take a look back at the last 43 seasons and the players who helped build this team into what it is today.
Before we do that, let’s take a look at all of the teams covered in the GOAT pyramid series so far so you can get an idea of what to expect below.
– The Los Angeles Lakers All-Time GOAT Pyramid
– The Chicago Bulls All-Time GOAT Pyramid
– The Golden State Warriors All-Time GOAT Pyramid
– The Boston Celtics All-Time GOAT Pyramid
– The Detroit Pistons All-Time GOAT Pyramid
– The Miami Heat All-Time GOAT Pyramid
– The Houston Rockets All-Time GOAT Pyramid
– The Brooklyn Nets All-Time GOAT Pyramid
– The New York Knicks All-Time GOAT Pyramid
– The Milwaukee Bucks All-Time GOAT Pyramid
– The Denver Nuggets All-Time GOAT Pyramid
– The Philadelphia 76ers All-Time GOAT Pyramid
As you can tell, the greatest players in Mavericks’ history will be placed into five tiers. Their placement will be based on stats, production, and impact on team success as it pertains to their time only with the Dallas Mavericks. What they did for other franchises during their careers has no bearing on where they rank for the Dallas Mavericks. Now, with those simple guidelines in place, let’s get into our list.
This is the Dallas Mavericks’ all-time GOAT pyramid.
Tier 5
Shawn Bradley, Kristaps Porzings, Jalen Brunson, Devin Harris, Vince Carter, Jim Jackson, Erick Dampier, Jay Vincent
Tier 5 of the Dallas Mavericks GOAT pyramid pays homage to the various role players and borderline stars that have come through their doors. The first of these players is Shawn Bradley, a 7-footer who showed zero fear or regret in challenging opponents at the rim. Although he came out on the worse end of some iconic poster dunks, Bradley spent eight seasons from 1998 through 2005 with Dallas, where he averaged 7.0 PPG, 5.7 RPG, and 2.1 BPG.
The next player on the list is another big man who didn’t spend much time in Dallas but enjoyed some success. Kristaps Porzingis was brought over to Dallas in a massive trade with the Knicks during the 2018-19 season. In the two seasons he played in Dallas, Porzingis fought off injuries but was still good enough to average 20.0 PPG, 8.8 RPG, and 1.7 BPG over the course of 134 games played.
Jalen Brunson is the one that got away for most Mavericks fans and for their organization as a whole. Brunson was drafted by the Mavericks in the second round of the 2018 NBA Draft. During his four years with the team, he developed into their most dependable second option behind Luka Doncic, which included his 21.6 PPG, 4.6 RPG, and 3.7 APG during their 2022 run to the Western Conference Finals. In 2023, Brusnon was a borderline All-Star with the Knicks after leaving Dallas in 2022 free agency.
For parts of 10 different seasons during his career with the Mavericks, Devin Harris was a key piece for Dallas’ second unit. Harris originally came over as a draft pick in a deal with the Wizards in 2004. Harris was then selected fifth overall and spent the next three seasons learning behind Steve Nash before becoming the starter in 2007. Harris would come back with Dallas for a stint from 2014 through 2018. Harris averaged 8.3 PPG and 2.8 APG over 608 games played with Dallas in his career.
Vince Carter was far from the athletic superstar he was in his prime when he played for the Mavericks from 2012 through 2014. Carter redefined his career with Dallas during this time, becoming a lethal three-point shooter shooting 39.2% from three over the course of three years. He also hit one of the most iconic buzzer-beaters in team history when he sank the Spurs in the 2014 NBA playoffs to give Dallas a 2-1 lead in the series.
Jim Jackson was supposed to be the next big thing for the Dallas Mavericks when they drafted him with the fourth overall pick in the 1992 NBA Draft. Jackson was stellar with the Mavericks in his earlier days from 1992-93 through the 1995-96 season. Some injuries and off-the-court issues cut his time short with the team, but he did manage to average 19.6 PPG, 4.9 RPG, and 3.8 APG over the course of 289 games played with the team.
Erick Dampier came to the Mavericks after the 2003-04 season and remained with the team through 2009-10. Dampier is a curious pick for this list when you take into account how “low” production and massive contract, but he played his role extremely well with the team. He averaged 6.5 PPG, 7.6 RPG, and 1.3 BPG in six seasons in which they made playoff appearances. He currently ranks fourth in Mavericks history in blocks and seventh in rebounds while playing the 17th-most games in team history.
The final member of Tier 5 is another second-round draft pick by the Mavericks that worked out well for them over multiple seasons. Jay Vincent was a forward who played with Dallas from 1982 through 1986 and averaged over 18.0 PPG in three of those five seasons. Vincent averaged over 21.0 PPG as a rookie and 16.9 PPG and 6.5 RPG in his five seasons with Dallas. He was a member of three playoff teams as well, including two teams that advanced to the second round.
Tier 4
Sam Perkins, Josh Howard, Shawn Marion, J.J. Barea, Tyson Chandler, James Donaldson, Roy Tarpley
Although, in some ways, Sam Perkins can be seen as a miss for Dallas during the 1984 NBA Draft, he still became one of the better players in franchise history. Perkins was Dallas’ fourth overall pick in the 1984 NBA Draft and went on to play six seasons for them from 1985 through 1990. During that time, he recorded three seasons of 15.0 PPG or more and averaged 14.4 PPG and 8.0 RPG in 471 games during his career with the Mavericks. He was also a key member of the 1988 team that advanced to the Western Conference Finals averaging over 13.5 PPG.
Josh Howard had all of the talent in the world and would have been an even bigger one if he could have laid off some of his extracurricular activities. Howard played six and a half seasons with Dallas, where he became an All-Star in 2007 and averaged 18.0 PPG or better from 2006 through 2008. Howard helped Dallas reach the 2006 NBA Finals by averaging 16.7 PPG and 7.4 RPG in the playoffs on 45.3% shooting.
Shawn Marion may have been past his prime with the Mavericks from 2010 through 2014, but he served as important of a role as anyone during their one championship run in 2011. Marion was a defensive specialist by this time and took on the heavy hitters during that special postseason. Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James all fell victim to “The Matrix” during those playoffs, as he also averaged 11.9 PPG and 6.2 RPG. Marion’s impact on a championship-winning franchise helps him reach Tier 4 with ease on our list.
J.J. Barea has reached almost folk-hero-like status since 2011 with the Dallas Mavericks. Dwyane Wade even said that in 2011, the Heat had no answers for him in the NBA Finals, which ultimately lost them the series and delivered the first in Mavericks history. Barea was a 14-year NBA veteran, with 11 of those seasons spent in Dallas. In his career with the Mavericks, Barea averaged 8.6 PPG and 3.8 APG, but no one can ever forget what he did to Miami during those 2011 Finals and what he meant to the city during that time.
Another underrated member of that 2011 championship team is former Defensive Player of the Year Tyson Chandler. In the 2011 playoffs, Chandler held down the interior on both sides of the ball while also serving as the team’s premier rebounder and interior defender. Chandler was a member of the Mavericks for only the 2011 and 2015 seasons but was so important to an NBA championship, leaving him off this pyramid would have been criminal.
James Donaldson is another former All-Star with the Mavericks that spent time with the team from 1986 through 1992. Donaldson was the rim-protector and rebounder the Mavericks needed during the 1980s, and he gave it to them. He averaged 8.8 PPG, 9.5 RPG, and 1.3 BPG during his career with Dallas. In 1988, he made the only All-Star game of his career when he helped anchor the Dallas defense as they pushed the Lakers to seven games in the Western Conference Finals.
The final member of Tier 4 on our list is none other than Roy Tarpley. After being selected seventh overall in the 1986 NBA Draft, Tarpley became a key piece of their rotation on the interior. Tarpley would be arguably Dallas’ best two-way player on their 1988 run to the Conference Finals averaging over 17.0 PPG, 12.0 RPG, 1.0 SPG, and 1.0 BPG. He earned Sixth Man of the Year honors that year as well. He was well on his way to becoming one of the best big men in the NBA, but injuries, alcohol, and drugs would cut his career short as he played just 55 games from 1991 through 1997, serving suspension after suspension stemming from his off-the-court issues.
Tier 3
Steve Nash, Derek Harper, Jason Terry, Brad Davis, Michael Finley
The next three tiers have been reserved for the elite of the elite in Mavericks history. Although it was prior to his MVP seasons that he had in Phoenix, Steve Nash is still one of the best point guards in Dallas history. After coming over in a lopsided trade on draft night in 1998, Nash instantly became the Mavericks’ starting point guard and a two-time All-Star with the team. Over the course of six seasons with Dallas, Nash averaged 14.6 PPG and 7.2 APG in 408 games.
Derek Harper is arguably the best point guard in Dallas Mavericks’ history. After spending two and a half seasons as the backup, Harper became the starter in 1985-86 and didn’t give up the spot until he left the team in 1992. Harper was a big reason the Mavericks made it to the 1998 Western Conference Finals and earned two All-Defensive Team selections with the team in 1987 and 1990. Harper ranks thirds in games played for Dallas as well as first in both assists and steals. Harper’s No. 12 jersey hangs in the rafters of the American Airlines Arena, solidifying his legacy as one of the Mavericks’ greatest players.
Jason Terry was one of the catalysts for the Mavericks during their 2011 championship run. He outscored and outperformed LeBron James during the 2011 Finals after prematurely tattooing the Larry O’Brien Trophy on his arm before the start of the year. Terry spent eight seasons with the Mavericks and became a premier shooting guard in the NBA, averaging over 16.0 PPG during this time as well as 4.1 APG and 1.2 SPG.
As one of the original Mavericks in 1980-81 with their arrival through expansion, Brad Davis makes our list on Tier 3. Davis became the Mavericks’ one constant through their bad seasons and accepted a role off the bench to help them reach the Conference Finals. Davis is one of four Mavericks to have their jerseys retired by the team and is second in games played for the team behind only Dirk Nowitzki. Davis played 12 years for the team and averaged 8.6 PPG along with 5.1 APG during that time.
The final member of Tier 3 is the forgotten member of their 2000s Big 3 with Nash and Nowitzki, Michael Finley. As a talented forward, Finley immediately acclimated to Dallas’ system alongside those two greats to make them one of the best teams of the decade. In his nine years with the team, Finley became a two-time All-Star and averaged 19.8 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 3.8 APG, and 1.2 SPG.
Tier 2
Luka Doncic, Mark Aguirre, Rolando Blackman, Jason Kidd
Tier 2 are all-time greats in Mavericks history, and all have made a significant impact on the franchise. Luka Doncic is the face of the new generation for Dallas fans everywhere, helping to aid the transition after Nowitzki’s retirement. Doncic has already become one of the best players in franchise history, with numerous records broken and a berth in the 2022 Conference Finals. In five seasons, Doncic has won Rookie of the Year and earned four All-Star selections as well as four All-NBA Team selections averaging 27.6 PPG, 8.6 RPG, and 8.0 APG in his career.
There is no denying what Mark Aguirre meant to the Mavericks as a franchise. He helped lead them to both their first playoff appearance ever and Conference Finals appearance ever as well. He led the team in scoring more often than not, which included three All-Star seasons and four seasons with over 25.0 PPG. In 1984, he was among the NBA’s best when he averaged 29.5 PPG and became an All-Star. Aguirre ranks second in PPG and third in total points with the Mavericks, yet is not one of the few who have been honored with a jersey retirement. It is about time we change that Mark Cuban.
Much like Aguirre, Rolando Blackman helped put the Mavericks on the map during the 1980s. For nine straight seasons with Dallas from 1984 through 1992, Blackman averaged at least 18.0 PPG, with multiple seasons averaging over 20.0 PPG. He would also become a four-time All-Star during his time in Dallas, where he ranks second in games played, total points, win shares, and shots made.
The final member of Tier 2 and ranking just a touch ahead of Nash, is Jason Kidd. He spent some of his earlier days in the NBA with Dallas, where he became an All-Star in his first two and a half seasons before being shockingly dealt in 1996-97. Kidd would return to Dallas in 2008 after successful stints with the Suns and Nets. Kidd would help the Mavericks win an NBA title in 2011 as their starting point guard. Kidd ranks top five in Dallas’s history in assists, steals, and three-pointers made.
Tier 1
Dirk Nowitzki
As it stands right now, there is one undisputed GOAT in Mavericks history. Dirk Nowitzki played his entire 21 seasons in the NBA with the Mavericks as he became one of the greatest international players ever. Nowitzki is still the only MVP in Mavericks history and the only Finals MVP as well. Nowitzki could have left elsewhere during his peak but chose to stay and build with the team that drafted him out of Germany back in 1998. Nowitzki is not only one of the most beloved players in Mavericks history, but NBA history, as he ranks top 10 in total points scored, 16th in three-pointers made, and 26th in rebounds.
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