As the Dallas Mavericks enter the 2025-26 season, the Luka Doncic trade will be lingering on the back burner for the organization. Even though the Mavericks secured No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg, the backlash from Nico Harrison's ill-advised Doncic trade will be a narrative that Mavericks fans and NBA fans are going to follow for the foreseeable future, but the development of young guard Max Christie could mitigate some of this backlash.
Christie was never viewed as a throw-in on the Doncic trade whatsoever, but with the Mavericks objectively not accruing proper first-round pick compensation in the Doncic deal, Christie's ability to develop into a prominent part of Dallas' rotation is something that fans and the Mavericks are expecting out of him, whether it's fair or not.