Mavericks star Anthony Davis might not return for remainder of season

Dallas has been dealing with an adductor injury since his Mavericks debut.

Feb 8, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis (3) leaves the game against the Houston Rockets during the third quarter at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Can it get any worse for the Dallas Mavericks? It feels like the franchise has just taken blow after blow over the last few weeks, punctuated by a season-ending ACL injury to Kyrie Irving during the fourth loss in five games on Monday night.

Irving was arguably Dallas's last hope to make another deep playoff run with all of the pieces crumbling around him. Instead, the Mavericks are left in a precarious scenario at the most critical juncture of the season.

Shortly before the trade deadline, Dallas brought in Anthony Davis and Max Christie in a massive deal that sent Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers. The Mavericks were hoping to position themselves for the postseason by having Davis bolster the frontcourt.

READ MORE: Kyrie Irving suffers serious injury in Mavericks-Kings

Feb 8, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis (3) leaves the game against the Houston Rockets during the third quarter at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Instead, Davis suffered an adductor strain during his debut with the franchise on February 8. Prior to being injured, he put up 26 points, 16 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 steals in 31 minutes.

Davis has been trying to work his way back to game action since going down nearly four weeks ago. However, the Mavericks have remained cautious with his rehab to prevent this from becoming a recurring issue.

With Irving out for the season and a slew of other starters or rotational pieces sidelined, there's a possibility that Dallas shuts down Davis for the remainder of the campaign.

According to ESPN Insider Shams Charania, there's a chance that Davis doesn't take the court again until next season.

Feb 8, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis (3) in action during the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Houston Rockets at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

"I mean, Anthony Davis has been out since his opener, since the first game he played. I think him, his representatives, I think they're going to huddle up, I think they're going to have some very hard conversations," Charania said on the Pat McAfee show. "It's not out of the realm of possibility that that one game is the last time we see Anthony Davis this season."

This would be another crushing revelation for the franchise considering how things have gone since the Mavericks traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in February.

Dallas is up to seven players who will be out for at least the immediate future, and some longer; Irving, Davis, Daniel Gafford, Dereck Lively II, PJ Washington, Caleb Martin, and Jaden Hardy.

In what can be viewed as a small positive in a pit of darkness, the Mavericks do have Davis under contract through the 2027-28 season. The soon-to-be 32-year-old has averaged 25.7 points, 12.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.2 blocks, and 1.3 steals over 34.2 minutes per game in 43 appearances.

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