Mavericks Playoff Odds Following Anthony Davis Trade (Dallas Set as Pick'em)

The Dallas Mavericks shocked the NBA world over the weekend, trading All-NBA guard Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in a deal that brought All-NBA forward Anthony Davis, guard Max Christie and a first-round pick back to Dallas.

The deal caused a massive shift to the futures odds in the NBA, and it actually tanked Dallas' stock in the NBA Finals market.

The Mavs -- who are currently the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference -- are far from guaranteed to make the playoffs this season despite reaching the NBA Finals in the 2023-24 campaign.

However, getting Davis in the lineup (he's currently dealing with an abdominal strain) could be what the Mavs need to improve their playoff odds.

As of Feb. 4, Dallas is just -115 at DraftKings Sportsbook to make the playoffs this season (an implied probability of just 53.49 percent). Dallas lost badly to the Cleveland Cavaliers in its first game after the trade, and Davis won't suit up on Tuesday against the Philadelphia 76ers.

However, it appears that the nine-time All-Star could return as soon as this week.

When Will Anthony Davis Debut for the Mavericks?

On Tuesday, Davis revealed that he will go through a workout after Dallas' shootaround that could potentially lead to him being cleared as soon as Thursday for the team's game against the Boston Celtics.

If not, Davis is aiming for a potential return on Saturday against the Houston Rockets.

Anthony Davis said this morning that while he isn't playing tonight with the abdominal strain he suffered last week, he was going to go through a post-shootaround workout and that he could return as soon as Thursday in Boston or Saturday at home against Houston.
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) February 4, 2025

This is great news for Dallas, as.it needs Davis' offensive punch in the lineup to make a playoff push. With Doncic out over the last month, the Mavs have slipped in the standings, and now they don't have the All-NBA guard to help them climb out of play-in picture.

That will now be up to Davis, Kyrie Irving, and the rest of Jason Kidd's squad. Dallas is still +3500 to win the NBA Finals -- a sign that oddsmakers still expect it to reach the playoffs in the West.

This season, Davis is averaging 25.7 points, 11.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 2.1 blocks per game while shooting 52.8 percent from the field.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.

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