Maxi Kleber Undergoes Surgery, No Timetable for Mavs Return
The Dallas Mavericks announced on Tuesday that Maxi Kleber underwent surgery to address a right hamstring tear sustained in practice on Tuesday.
Kleber will begin rehabilitation immediately, and the team offered no timetable for his return at this point. He last played on Dec. 12 in a matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder and has been sidelined for the Mavs' previous four games.
Outside expert opinion has compared the injury to a hamstring tear that Khris Middleton suffered in 2016 — causing him to miss 141 days. A timeline of this nature would cause Kleber to miss the remainder of the season.
Kleber has proven instrumental to the Mavs' defense. He is often trusted to slide over a small ball five role to close games while deploying a switch-everything scheme while being capable of spacing out from beyond the 3-point line on offense. There is a real void created by his injury for versatile options that check those boxes.
"You look at his defense first — his toughness and his ability to stretch the floor like Wood," Kidd said recently regarding what the Mavs miss without Kleber.
Kleber signed a three-year, $33 million contract extension before the season. He was instrumental in the Mavs' success with his shooting and defensive contributions throughout their run to the Western Conference Finals.
The Mavs will have significant opportunity to fully utilize Christian Wood at the five. He was acquired in an offseason trade from the Houston Rockets using filler contracts and the No. 26 overall pick. He's set to reach free agency in the offseason barring a contract extension agreement.
During Kleber's 22 appearances this season, he averaged 6.2 points and 3.5 rebounds in 25.6 minutes per game. He was often deployed alongside Wood on the bench but had been the preferred center option to close most games.
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