NBA Playoffs Preview: 5 Former Mavs to Watch on Day 1

The Dallas Mavericks might not be in the NBA Playoffs, but several former Mavs will be playing vital roles for other teams.

Although the Dallas Mavericks are sitting at home with the NBA Playoffs set to commence on Saturday afternoon, Mavs fans can still have some fun by keeping up with five key players they used to root for in blue and white.

Here’s a look at all the playoff games taking place on this opening Saturday, as well as the ties they have to Dallas.

Philadelphia 76ers vs. Brooklyn Nets, Game 1, 12:00 p.m. CT on ESPN

The playoffs begin with four series openers, starting at noon when Philadelphia takes on Brooklyn. The Sixers are heavy favorites due to having MVP finalist Joel Embiid and former MVP James Harden leading the way. Philly doesn’t have any former Mavs to keep an eye on, but the Nets have three:

Dorian Finney-Smith
Spencer Dinwiddie
Seth Curry

After being traded from Dallas to Brooklyn in February for star guard Kyrie Irving, Dinwiddie admitted that he can’t help but feel good about being in the playoffs while the Mavs watch from home. We’ve seen Dinwiddie and Finney-Smith step up in big playoff moments before. Let’s see if they can do it again without Luka Doncic.

Boston Celtics vs. Atlanta Hawks, Game 1, 2:30 p.m. CT on ESPN

There are no former Mavs playing in this series … that is, unless you want to count Trae Young. We won’t for this particular exercise, though.

Cleveland Cavaliers vs. New York Knicks, Game 1, 5:00 p.m. CT on ESPN

This is the series most Mavs fans will keep in up with over the next two weeks. Jalen Brunson, who left the Mavs for the Knicks in free agency last summer, has become a rising star in New York.

We all knew losing Brunson would hurt Dallas, but seeing the Knicks have such a successful season while lottery-bound Mavs enter the offseason with more questions than answers adds some salt to the wound. We’ll see if Brunson can continue his ascent against a great rim-protecting team in Cleveland.

Sacramento Kings vs. Golden State Warriors, Game 1, 7:30 p.m. CT on ABC

It’s amazing how perceptions can change in four years. Harrison Barnes’ time in Dallas didn’t go as planned, and he was infamously traded to Sacramento mid-game to end his Mavs tenure. Barnes didn’t fit that version of the Mavs’ roster at the time, but now? Dallas would be lucky to have him basked on their lack of versatile 3-and-D players.

When the Kings selected Marvin Bagley III over Doncic in the 2018 draft, they were laughed at in the following years as Doncic quickly blossomed into a star while Bagley never could get things going. Five years later, the Kings are the third best team in the Western Conference with the league’s most potent offense. They have made all the right hires and all the right trades to overcome whiffing on a top-5 player in the league in Doncic.

Mark Cuban and GM Nico Harrison have some work to do over the offseason to make some of these narratives look better next season.

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