Mavericks' road to trading Anthony Davis just hit an unmovable roadblock

The Dallas Mavericks got brutal news on Wednesday, amidst five days off from games, as Dereck Lively II will be undergoing season-ending right foot surgery to address lingering discomfort. Lively II's absence makes it a lot harder for Dallas to trade Daniel Gafford, and subsequently Anthony Davis as well, even though trading Davis almost seemed like a foregone conclusion when Dallas was sitting at 5-15 two weeks ago.

After Dallas' recent surge and Davis being re-inserted into the lineup, though, it's clear the Mavericks will be treating a potential Davis trade fluidly based on how he and the team perform over the next few weeks. Despite this, Lively II's injury would make trading Davis a far tougher pill to swallow than originally conceived.

All three of Dallas' bigs have proven to be injury-prone over the last two seasons, and with Lively II now out for the entire season, it would be tough for Gafford to have to hold down the fort if Dallas also traded Davis, unless Dallas got another big man in return.

Lively II's injury could change the Mavericks' Anthony Davis trade plan

Lively II's injury doesn't make a Davis trade impossible by any means, just as it doesn't make a Gafford trade impossible, but it makes this situation far more complex, as Dallas would only have one starting-caliber big man on the roster if it traded Gafford or Davis at this point.

Unless Dallas is in pure tank mode by the deadline, which seems unlikely now, trading Davis would leave them completely dry on the low block, as Gafford would likely get overwhelmed having to shoulder most of Dallas' big man duties.

As aforementioned, though, Dallas could obviously trade Davis and get another starting-quality big man in return, depending on the trade partner, but it's unlikely they make a Davis trade while still trying to remain competitive, as Davis is even more important to Dallas now with Lively II missing the entire season. This is undoubtedly a tough blow for Mavericks fans who wanted to see Davis traded in hopes of the team rebuilding around Cooper Flagg for the long run.

It's never good to see such a promising young player be plagued with injuries like Lively II has been throughout his career thus far, but for fans who wanted to see Davis stick around in Dallas for the time being, Lively II's injury definitely increases the likelihood of that proposition. Hopefully, Dallas can get a solid stretch of Gafford and Davis being healthy together once Gafford returns from injury, as another major Davis injury would be a nightmare in an already injury-riddled season for Dallas.

It'll be interesting to see if Lively II's injury impacts potential extension talks with Davis as well, as Lively II's inability to stay on the court could increase the impetus on Dallas' front office to want to continue their partnership with Davis beyond this season. However, it'll still be a few more weeks before Dallas' front office starts the groundwork on their future plans for Davis, but Lively II's injury definitely hinders the front office's maneuverability if they end up deciding to trade Davis.