After leaving the New Orleans Pelicans for the Lakers in 2019, Davis experienced some injury problems, but he achieved success rather quickly, winning a championship in 2020.
Unfortunately for Davis and the Mavericks, that has not been the case since the big man left L.A. for Texas. Davis appeared in just one game — on February 8 against the Houston Rockets — during which he suffered an adductor strain that has sidelined him ever since.
While the team didn’t rule Davis out for the season by any stretch, and actually expected him back well before its end on April 13, Kyrie Irving’s subsequent ACL tear may render it pointless for the power forward to return to the floor during this campaign.
Irving, the Mavericks’ other best player and a former teammate/co-champion with James (they played together in Cleveland), is out for the remainder of the year. The injury will also likely hinder him into the 2025-26 campaign.
Dallas is 32-33 and currently occupies the No. 10 seed in the Western Conference, which represents the final spot in the NBA’s Play-In Tournament on that side of the bracket. The Mavericks are 1.5 games up on the rival Phoenix Suns.
