The fan base has already turned on the Mavericks and it may get worse very quickly. The front office made the decision to inexplicably trade their franchise superstar Luka Doncic to the Lakers for Anthony Davis. Their reasoning was to bolster their defense, viewing Davis as the missing piece to win a championship. Unfortunately, AD will stay away from the team for multiple weeks due to an adductor injury he suffered in his Mavs debut. ESPN analyst Tim Bontempts claims this injury is concerning and predicts a dire outcome for Dallas at the end of the season.
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Bontemps took to The Hoop Collective Podcast to discuss Davis’ recent injury. He was already very critical of Dallas for agreeing to trade Doncic for AD, but now shares his worry for the Mavericks’ future. He said,
“They could be looking at a repeat of the situation they were in two years ago when they’re sitting on the outside looking in. Looking at being in the lottery rather than making a playoff run. When you just traded for a guy who’s six or seven years older than the guy you just traded and you talked about his durability issues it’s pretty concerning.”
Dallas’ season isn’t over by any means. They still hold the eighth seed but there is no guarantee they won’t fall down the standings. Bontemps believes there’s a real possibility the Mavericks could be reliving the 2022-23 season. Dallas failed to make the playoffs and was in the lottery. It worked out quite well since the team was able to draft Derrick Lively. However, missing the playoffs after making the NBA Finals is a huge drop-off.
Rather than focusing on the short-term, Bontemps worries for the Mavericks going forward. Davis is getting older each day and his extensive injury history is concerning for Dallas long-term.
Mavericks’ championship aspirations in jeopardy
Despite the public’s outrage regarding Dallas cutting ties with Doncic, many are high on Davis. From an objective lens, the Mavericks are a well-constructed team. AD finally is allowed to play the power forward position since Dallas has Daniel Gafford starting at center. NBA legends such as Shaquille O’Neal have considered these things before making his comments stating the Mavericks won the trade.
“I think Dallas has probably won the trade because AD goes into a natural position with better players around him,” O’Neal said.
O’Neal’s prediction may prove to be wrong before it had the chance to prove it was right. This injury spells out a disaster for the Mavs. Without Davis healthy, any desires for a championship are out of consideration. If the Mavericks can stay afloat until Davis returns, they may be able to cause damage. However, it’s more than likely Dallas’ season is over.
