What happened: The Dallas Mavericks are positioned to head into 2026 free agency with meaningful salary-cap flexibility. That spending power has become a focal point as the offseason approaches and the front office weighs how to use it.

Why it matters: Genuine cap room is a scarce commodity across the NBA, where most contenders operate over the cap and into the luxury tax. Flexibility on that scale would let Dallas pursue rotation upgrades or take a larger swing in free agency rather than working only on the margins.

What to watch: Watch how Dallas chooses to deploy its cap room once free agency opens and which targets the front office prioritizes.