March 6 became one of the most anticipated dates of the season for Dallas Mavericks fans since Jason Kidd declared it as the day when the team’s trio of big men would be re-evaluated for their respective injuries.
The wounded Mavericks have played without Anthony Davis, Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II for the better part of the last month and now they’ll be without Kyrie Irving for the rest of the season because of a torn ACL.
The Mavericks, coming off a 30-point loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, were radio silent Thursday and did not provide an update on Davis, Gafford and Lively. Kidd will surely be asked about their statuses before Friday’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Injuries have decimated the Mavericks throughout the season and have affected nearly every player on the roster. While there were a few minor injuries, there were others that had long-term ramifications. Both situations led to inconsistent lineups and Dallas’ slippage to 10th in the Western Conference.
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Here is a list of the Mavericks’ most impactful injuries from their tumultuous 2024-25 season:
Related:Jason Kidd denies claims that Kyrie Irving’s workload led to ACL injury: ‘It’s wrong’
5. Dereck Lively II
When Lively went down with what was believed to be an ankle sprain, there was little concern that the Mavericks would be without their starting center for an extended period of time. However, Lively’s sophomore season became in jeopardy once it was deemed that he suffered a stress fracture in his right ankle. The loss of Lively wasn’t as detrimental to the Mavericks because Gafford was a more than viable option to hold the fort down because of his ability to serve as a lob threat and rim protector.
4. Daniel Gafford
Just two days after losing Anthony Davis, the Mavericks were dealt another injury blow. Gafford was coming off a stretch of playing the best basketball of his career in late January before he suffered a right knee sprain on Feb. 10 against the Sacramento Kings. His loss severely impacted the Mavericks’ interior presence on both ends of the floor. Gafford, who’s fourth in the NBA in field goal percentage (69.9%), left the Mavericks undersized and undermanned. After entering the season with one of the most balanced rosters in the NBA, Dallas gradually lost their depth one body at a time.
3. Anthony Davis
In a perfect world, Davis would’ve received the chance to finish his dominant debut in a Mavericks uniform without suffering a left adductor strain. But that’s not the world we live in. Davis and Irving played only one game together, which wasn’t even a full one. That one game was a glimpse of the vision Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison had when he traded Doncic for the 10-time All-Star forward. Davis’ injury placed even more of an offensive responsibility on Irving. His absence hurt the Mavericks because it left them without a viable big man in the paint, and Dwight Powell’s subsequent hip injury forced the team to cycle through replacements such as the undersized Kessler Edwards, 10-day signee Moses Brown and new two-way center Kai Jones, who will miss his second game Friday with a left quad strain. The loss of Davis, while Doncic shines under the bright lights of Los Angeles, is a daily reminder of the trade that changed the landscape of the NBA.
2. Luka Doncic
Before we even start with Doncic’s left calf strain on Christmas Day —his final game as a member of the Mavericks — let’s take a look at the left calf contusion that required him to miss the team’s entire training camp and preseason slate. The Mavericks entered this season with a heightened amount of expectation to re-emerge as a championship contender. Doncic missed three weeks, which was valuable time to get acclimated with his new teammates, including Thompson, Naji Marshall and former Mavericks guard Quentin Grimes. It contributed to a slow start but Doncic began playing like an MVP candidate again in late November and December, just to suffer his final injury as a Maverick on Dec. 25. It was the unofficial changing of the guard as Irving became the team’s No. 1 option.
1. Kyrie Irving
Klay Thompson called it a gut punch. He would know because he’s experienced the same debilitating injury. Irving’s torn ACL ranks as the most devastating injury for the Mavericks because it effectively ended their chances to compete for the rest of the season, let alone clinch a playoff spot. Not to mention, this injury affects Irving and the Mavericks not just for this season, but well into next season. The franchise hoped that if Davis returned in enough time to quickly jell with his new teammates … that the Mavericks would have a legitimate chance to return to the NBA Finals. That’s not the case anymore.
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