Mavericks' worst Anthony Davis nightmare just came true

The Dallas Mavericks got the worst possible news on Friday afternoon, as Anthony Davis could potentially miss multiple months due to ligament damage sustained in his left hand toward the end of Dallas' loss to the Utah Jazz on Thursday night, and now Davis' trade value is at an all-time low. Even the most optimistic of Mavericks fans see that there's no clear path to trading Davis before the February 5 trade deadline, and the Mavericks may not be able to move on from Davis before next season.

Given how injury-riddled Davis has been through his tenure as a Maverick, only playing 29 of a possible 80 games thus far, it's going to be harder than it already was to convince prospective suitors to take on his contract in the summer, especially if he doesn't come back at all this season. Davis and the Mavericks are seeking a second opinion on the hand, as a hard timetable for his return hasn't been established yet, but this is basically the worst-case scenario when it comes to Davis' season.

While the Mavericks would probably love it if Davis' final game in Dallas was this past Thursday and they could find a trade for him in the summer, the PR around Davis is horrendous right now. It only makes it worse that this is all tied to the Luka Doncic trade, so the Mavericks may be forced to take him into next season if he can't come back and drive his value up a little down the stretch of this season.

Mavericks are stuck with Anthony Davis

If Davis fails to return this season, it will be the lowest amount of games played in his career at 20, so teams aren't going to be lining up at the door this summer to take on a 33-year-old with a massive contract that is coming off the most injured season of his career. Davis has been notoriously injury-prone throughout his career, but his injury luck in Dallas has been worse than at any other stop, and the Mavericks can't just settle for pennies on the dollar when it comes to trading Davis.

Perhaps Patrick Dumont's goal of seeing Cooper Flagg, Kyrie Irving, and Davis all on the floor together isn't totally dead yet, as it's really hard to envision how the Mavericks could find a sufficient trade for Davis in the summer unless he comes back quicker than expected and plays well down the stretch of this season.

Regardless of where one stands on keeping or trading Davis, this is a sum of all fears scenario for Davis and the Mavericks, as Dallas practically has no chance at pushing for a play-in or playoff spot now, yet also can't jumpstart their future around Flagg by trading Davis for young assets, expiring contracts, and draft capital. Dallas' best bet at this point is simply to see if they can lose enough to better their lottery odds in hopes of landing a stud at the top of the 2026 NBA Draft.

While injuries have been a huge crutch on Davis' career, it almost seems like the Mavericks were cursed because of the Doncic trade, as the myriad of injuries Davis has dealt with since being in Dallas has been unprecedented compared to any other time in his career, and Dallas' injury luck has been terrible overall as well. The basketball gods may have gifted the Mavericks Flagg, but they are continuing to make the Mavericks pay in the worst way for Nico Harrison's transgressions.