Mavericks Without NBA All-Star for First Time in Eight Seasons

On the one-year anniversary of the worst trade in NBA history, Mavericks fans received one more painful reminder.

Jan 8, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis (3) and guard Kyrie Irving (right) speak during a second half break in action against the Utah Jazz at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Sunday was the one-year anniversary of the infamous Luka Doncic trade, where Nico Harrison thought a bright idea would be to trade a 25-year-old five-time First-Team All-NBA selection, who was intertwined with the city, in the middle of the night for a meddling return centered around an aging and injured Anthony Davis.

Anthony Davis has played just 29 regular-season games since the trade, and the Mavericks have performed poorly as a result. Kyrie Irving has also been out since last March due to tearing his ACL, and insiders are uncertain if he'll return at all this year due to the team's position in the standings. There's no reason to rush him back.

However, because those two stars have been injured, they don't have an All-Star for the first time in eight seasons. The All-Star reserves were announced on Sunday, while the starters were announced a little while ago, and there were no Mavericks anywhere to be found.

The last time they went without representation was a three-year stretch from 2016 to 2018 before Dirk Nowitzki was given one in his final year in 2019. Luka Doncic made it every year from 2020 to 2024, Kyrie Irving was there in 2023, right after he was traded to Dallas, and Irving and Anthony Davis were there last year, right after Davis was sent to Dallas. However, Davis would miss the game due to injury.

On Tuesday we will learn the official rosters for the two eight-man teams of USA players and the eight-man World roster for the Feb. 15 All-Star Game in Los Angeles: pic.twitter.com/wnNimLADVC

— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) February 1, 2026

READ MORE: Mavericks' Dream of Trading Wasted Free Agent Signing May Be Dead

How the Dallas Mavericks Could Still Get an All-Star

Cooper Flagg was the Mavericks' only chance to have an All-Star due to the injuries to Davis and Irving, but it would've taken a massive leap in fan voting for that to happen, and he doesn't have the numbers that some of these other stars across the league have.

However, there is a world where he could be selected as an injury replacement. The All-Star Game is broken up into USA vs. World this year, so that could make it a little tougher, as Kawhi Leonard deserved to be in the Game but wasn't. He would almost assuredly be selected as an injury replacement if someone can't go.

In last year's All-Star Game, the winning team from the Rising Stars Challenge participated in a mini-tournament with the NBA All-Stars, but they changed that this year after determining it wasn't really fair for competition, so Flagg won't have that chance either.

No one else from the Mavericks could even get close. Max Christie may be in the Three-Point Contest, but it would be unlikely for anyone else to see representation for one of the league's biggest weekends.

READ MORE: 3-Time NBA Champion Misses Entire Point About Mavericks' Cooper Flagg, Rookie Class

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