It looks like the Mavericks have been struggling ever since Doncic left for the Lakers in an amazing trade that shocked the world. They finished another game with a loss due to a severe shortage of players. With Irving and Davis already out, Jason Kid had no other choice but to bring in Kessler Edwards despite having an eye injury.
Dallas showed up with eight players injured, including Anthony Davis, who came in a trade for Doncic, and Kyrie Irving, who tore his ACL. Two more players got injured during the game. On top of that, Dante Exum and Caleb Martin, who were coming off injuries, couldn’t go over their limited minutes to save them for later. The full list, which includes Irving and Davis, also has Daniel Gafford, Jaden Ivey, Kai Jones, Derek Lively II, Olivier-Maxence Prosper, and PJ Washington. Then they added Dwight Powell, who collided with his teammate Kessler Edwards, and Brandon Williams, who’s dealing with a strain.
“I’ve never seen this—where you can’t even take someone out to rest them because there’s no one to put in,” Kidd said.
“Normally, you can just sub in someone from the end of the bench. But if they weren’t in clothes, they were in the back with stitches or unable to move or walk. It is what it is”,
The only bright side here is that it can’t get any worse than this
So, how the heck are they gonna bounce back from this mess? Well, this is where we might see Harrison keep doing what he’s been doing. Right now, the Mavs are projected to be a few million below the first apron and over $10 million under the second one when free agency rolls around. That means they won’t be making a splash in free agency since they don’t have much cap space, but they’ve still got room to make moves through trades. As long as they stay below that second apron, they can combine salaries and bring in more cash than they send out. Plus, they’ve got their own 2025 and 2026 draft picks to dangle around to improve the squad, and this year’s pick looks like it’s gonna be a lottery pick.
The bottom line? The Mavs don’t really have a shot this season. Even if Davis was 100%, it’d be a tough climb to get out of the play-in tournament in the West, and even harder to snag home court for the playoffs. History shows that’s pretty much a must for any team gunning for a championship. With Davis hurt, there’s no point in pushing him to play through it. For the next couple months, Harrison and the crew are gonna focus on licking their wounds and setting up for the offseason. Sure, winning a chip this season would’ve been ideal for Harrison, but realistically, it was gonna be tough for Dallas to pull that off—even if they were at full strength. Looks like the Doncic trade was really about gearing up for 2025—having the flexibility to go after anyone they want, with a ton of assets to play with and no financial restrictions.
Now, what’s the move? That’s the big question. The Mavs could try to land a third star to team up with Irving and Davis, using the contracts of Klay Thompson, P.J. Washington, or Daniel Gafford to get something done (word is, Kevin Durant might be available). Or, they could use their picks and some smaller deals, like Martin’s or Naji Marshall’s, to bulk up the backcourt while waiting for Irving to fully recover from his ACL injury. They could just sit tight with their first-round pick this year and hold onto the other assets, waiting to see how things shake out over the summer or into the fall. In the NBA, a star could pop up outta nowhere. The truth is, there’s no bouncing back from the Doncic trade. It’s a tough one, and fans will feel that sting for years. Irving and Davis going down just added salt to the wound. But when it comes to what the Mavs do now, there are a bunch of options. They’ve got choices.
The real question is whether Harrison will make the right call. Time will tell.
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