Could dinosaurs have become intelligent?

Yes—if by “dinosaurs” you include birds, then dinosaurs are already intelligent. Modern birds are living theropod dinosaurs, and some species, such as crows and parrots, show impressive problem-solving, tool use, and complex social behavior.

If you mean non-avian dinosaurs, then it’s plausible that some lineages could have evolved higher intelligence over time, especially if they had survived beyond the end-Cretaceous extinction. Troodontids are often mentioned as likely candidates because they had relatively large brains for their body size, grasping hands, forward-facing eyes, and evidence suggesting relatively complex behavior.

That said, very high intelligence was not guaranteed. Evolution does not inevitably produce human-like intelligence, and traits such as fine manipulation, social complexity, and the right environmental pressures would all have mattered. So: possible, yes; inevitable, no.