Last month, the Dallas Mavericks acquired Anthony Davis from the Los Angeles Lakers for Luka Doncic in one of the craziest trades in NBA history. While trading Doncic was a controversial move, many liked the thought of Dallas pairing Davis with Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson. Unfortunately for Davis and the Mavericks, the Chicago native suffered an injury in his dominant debut with the team.
It has been nearly a month since Davis suited up for Dallas. In that time, a lot has gone wrong for the team, especially with Irving recently suffering a season-ending ACL injury. With less than two months remaining this season, the Mavericks are 32-30. After making the NBA Finals last season, the Mavericks are in danger of missing the postseason completely. Currently, Dallas owns the No. 10 seed in the Western Conference. And, according to NBA insider Shams Charania, this may lead to the Mavericks shutting Davis down for the rest of the campaign.
In a recent appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, Charania reported that there is a real possibility Davis does not play again this season.
“I think him, his representatives are gonna huddle up. I think they’re gonna have some very hard conversations. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that one game was the last time we’ve seen AD this season”
– Shams on AD
(h/t @ohnohedidnt24 )
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) March 4, 2025
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“I think [Anthony Davis], his representatives, they’re gonna huddle up. I think they’re gonna have some very hard conversations. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that one game was the last time we’ve seen Anthony Davis this season.”
Latest Anthony Davis Update Could Be Death Knell for Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks’ Outlook for Rest of the Season
Even if Davis returns at some point this season for the Mavericks, it could be too late. The Mavericks are just 3.5 games ahead of the Phoenix Suns, who are the first team out of the Play-In spot. Additionally, they are only 5.5 games up from being a bottom-three team in the Western Conference. With Irving out of the picture, it will prove incredibly difficult for the Mavericks to make any type of playoff run this season.
Since the Doncic trade, the Mavericks are 6-7 and are averaging 111.3 points per game. For context, this ranks as the 22nd-best in the NBA over that span. Furthermore, their 113.6 ORTG and 119.5 DRTG since the Doncic rank as the fifth-worst and eighth-worst in the league, respectively. Now that Irving is done for the season, it is fair to assume these numbers will continue to get worse.
It is not impossible for Dallas to make some noise in the postseason, but it will be very difficult. The Mavericks’ season is not officially over yet. However, shutting Davis down could be the right move. There is a lot of talent on the roster that could help them contend next season. As for this season, however, title contention is highly unlikely.
Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
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