The Dallas Mavericks’ past month or so has not been ideal. In the last handful of weeks, they have lost many players, whether through trades or injuries. They have also made some questionable moves and have had the worst of luck lately.
Keeping Anthony Davis Out Could Benefit Mavericks
The Mavericks’ first move, and most prominent in the last few weeks, was trading away their international superstar, Luka Dončić. The Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison and ownership decided that Dončić was not the type of player they wanted to move forward with. That led them to trade him to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for superstar Anthony Davis.
While trading away the franchise player was not great, they did receive a great player in exchange in Davis. However, the Davis experience did not last long. He made his Dallas debut on Feb. 8 against the Houston Rockets and played 31 minutes. Davis recorded 26 points; however, he suffered a left adductor injury, and his return this season is unclear.
Massive Update on Mavs’ Big Men
The Mavericks said Davis is ‘improving daily’ and has been cleared for more on-court work. However, that may not be the best move for Dallas moving forward. The Mavericks are without arguably their best player, Kyrie Irving, for the rest of the year and then some after he suffered a torn ACL on March 3 against the Sacramento Kings.
The Mavericks say that Anthony Davis (left adductor strain) is “improving daily” and has been cleared for more on-court work.
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That’s just the start; the Mavericks are also without their second-year center, Dereck Lively II. He is recovering from a right ankle stress fracture and has progressed to individual on-court work. Lively will also be evaluated weekly. The 21-year-old has been out since Jan. 14, having missed the past 24 games.
Dallas is also without Daniel Gafford. Gafford has been sidelined since Feb. 10 due to a right knee sprain, which was reported to be a Grade 3 MCL sprain.
While it’s all positive news, it may be best for the Mavericks to sit all three down for the season, especially Davis. The Mavericks are not going anywhere this season. They currently sit as the No. 10 seed in the loaded Western Conference. The Mavericks will most likely have to win two games to get the eighth seed and face arguably the best team in the league, the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Mavericks would be better off resting their top players and getting the highest possible pick in the upcoming draft.
Capture The Flagg
According to Tankathon, the Mavericks have the 13th-best odds of securing the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. They sit with a 1 percent chance. That number would only rise if they decide to wave the white flag (no pun intended).
Duke freshman forward Cooper Flagg is projected to be the No. 1 pick in the draft. The 18-year-old is having an incredible season. He has the Blue Devils as the No. 2 team in the country, averaging 19.6 points and shooting 49.7 percent from the field.
This plan worked out for Dallas in 2023. After trading for Irving, the second half of the season did not work out for Dallas. They decided to fold, landing with the No. 10 pick that season, and it changed their fortunes. The Mavericks selected Lively II with that pick, who was massive for them last season.
The Mavericks could drop in the standings with plenty of games left. That would increase their odds and potentially allow them to grab their next franchise player with a top pick to pair alongside Irving and Davis.
Harrison and the ownership would be happy with Flagg, who is projected to be the No. 1 pick. The Mavericks could be happy with the other top talents in the draft as well. Many draft experts view this draft as one of the more talented ones in recent memory.
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