The Dallas Mavericks’ 2024-25 season will be remembered for one thing: Trading Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis. Now, more than six months after the deal, the Mavericks have yet to fully begin the ‘Davis era‘ in Dallas.
That could be pushed back even further, as it was recently announced that Davis is still recovering from eye surgery earlier this summer, putting his status to start the 2025-26 season in jeopardy.
Speaking on the DLLS Mavs podcast, NBA insider Marc Stein gave a telling update on Davis, saying the big man is “not fully back on the court yet” after his July surgery.
Davis injured his eye during the regular season, but waited until the summer to undergo surgery. After being traded to the Mavericks at the February trade deadline, he has played just 11 games for Dallas. His numbers in those games were strong, but the lack of on-court action remains a lasting talking point of the Doncic trade with the Lakers.
Davis’ Injury On A Hobbled Roster
Stein’s update on Davis goes against what agent Rich Paul said earlier this summer. Speaking with Frank Isola in July, Paul said Davis would be healthy by the start of the 2025 training camp, but that now looks to be unlikely.
After joining Dallas, Davis injured his groin in his first game with the team after a strong first few quarters. He played eight straight games to close out the season, but after both his groin surgery and retina surgery for his most recent injury, the 32-year-old has continued his string of health concerns seen through the first 13 seasons of his career.
Davis, who was expected to be the leading man for the Mavericks to start the season, has now been added to a list of Dallas players not currently healthy and available to play. Highlighting that list is Kyrie Irving, who tore his ACL in March and doesn’t have a direct timeline for a return. It also includes Dereck Lively II, who underwent surgery in July to repair bone spurs in his right foot.
Besides those two, who are expected to be major factors for Dallas next season, Klay Thompson, Dwight Powell, and Daniel Gafford remain players who have a recent history of missing stretches of the season due to injuries.
New Era In Dallas
Though the injuries and most recent Davis news might not bode well for Mavericks fans, their offseason has been spotlighted by the addition of number one overall pick Cooper Flagg. The top-ranked rookie expects to come in hoping to make an immediate impact for the Mavericks, now perhaps holding bigger expectations with Davis’ status in question.
Flagg, a two-way forward, will have the chance to become a big contributor on this Dallas team that has playoff hopes. While without Irving, the franchise won’t be anywhere close to its peak, Flagg comes into a situation rarely seen by top rookies.
“Reasonable expectations? I don’t know why you have to be reasonable,” Jay Bilas of ESPN said before the 2025 NBA Draft. “Why does the sky have to be the limit? There’s stuff beyond the sky.”
Along with the addition of Flagg, Dallas has committed to their current roster. Over the summer, the team has extended Gafford, Irving, and P.J. Washington each until at least 2027. They also added D’Angelo Russell as an Irving replacement until he gets healthy, and along with Flagg, landed college basketball standout Ryan Nembhard on draft night.
The Davis injury doesn’t bode well for Mavericks fans, but after their last few months, it doesn’t compare to the rollercoaster of emotions they’ve experienced since the February trade deadline. Now with a top rookie on a contending-hopeful roster, Dallas is in the first stage of their ‘post-Luka Doncic era.’
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