NBA MVP Power Rankings: Who climbs the ladder after Joel Embiid's injury?

The NBA is just three days away from their annual regular season trade deadline. Teams are scrambling to make last-minute upgrades before the playoff race begins. For the Dallas Mavericks, the aforementioned statement couldn't be more true 49 games into the season.

The Mavericks have needed to address multiple holes on their roster, but no hole may be bigger than a starting forward. Multiple names have spiked the Mavericks' interest, but the Mavs could have their eyes set on Golden State's Andrew Wiggins.

Wiggins, throughout his career, has always been a great defender and rebounder. This season, the 6-foot-7 forward has averaged 12.2 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. However, this season could be regarded as a down year for the eight-year vet, which could be more incitive for the Mavericks. While Wiggins is having a rough season, his asking price could be lower, which may be more enticing for the Mavericks.

NBA MVP Power Rankings: Who climbs the ladder after Joel Embiid's injury?

Despite all the Wiggins rumors, there are still other players that have emerged on Dallas' radar, one of which is Charlotte Hornets forward P.J. Washington. If the Mavericks were to acquire Washington, it may come at the cost of one of their young assets.

Alongside superstars Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, Washington could be the missing puzzle piece to unlocking Dallas' potential.

While we are just days away from the NBA's trade deadline, so let's take a look at this week's MVP Power Rankings after a crazy week of basketball.

10. Devin Booker

Last week's rank: 10

After a crazy week last week, Devin Booker has cooled off. The Phoenix guard recently won the Western Conference Player of the Month award with his play over the last few weeks. Booker and the Suns have improved, so expect to rise on this list in the coming weeks.

9. Anthony Edwards

Anthony Edwards has rebounded after a rough week of play. He and the Timberwolves have gathered multiple wins over the past week, and Edwards has looked like a veteran guard through the process. His stats may not wow fans, but his leadership on the court is felt.

8. Jayson Tatum

Last week's rank: 7

Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics have shown their first case of hiccups in this past week of play. After embarrassingly losing to the Lebron and AD-less Lakers, Boston rebounded with a 40-point win over the Memphis Grizzlies.

7. Domantas Sabonis

Last week's rank: 8

After getting snubbed from the all-star game, Domantas Sabonis has proved voters wrong with his recent play. He and the Kings have accumulated multiple wins in a row and seem to have gotten their season on track.

6. Kawhi Leonard

Last week's rank: 6

Kawhi Leonard seems to be buying his time to climb the rankings after a recent Joel Embiid injury. He has led his Clippers to a 25-5 record since December 10, which leads all teams. The Clippers have emerged as the scariest team over the last two months, and expect Leonard to rise in the coming weeks.

5. Joel Embiid

Last week's rank: 1

Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers were unfortunately dealt a bad hand after it was announced the reigning MVP would need surgery to repair a torn MCL. The former MVP was well on his way to winning yet another award after his magnificent play over this season.

Embiid averaged 35.3 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game. Additionally, the seven-footer was averaging just under two blocks a game, proving how dominant he was on both ends of the floor. There is no clear timetable for his return.

It shouldn't be a crazy statement when fans announced that Embiid was potentially having the most dominant scoring season of all time. Unfortunately, he will be out of the MVP race due to his injury and the NBA's 65-game policy.

It's unfortunate the NBA community has lost the undisputable MVP, but now fans are focused on what the 76ers will do with just three days left before the trade deadline ends. The Sixers are currently 30-18 in the Eastern Conference and still stand a chance without their former MVP.

Philly guard Tyrese Maxey has held down the fort while Embiid was sidelined with other injuries and has looked amazing in the process. The former Kentucky Wildcat even dropped a 50 bomb in one of the Sixers' recent games. Despite Maxey playing great Philly is only 1-5 in their last six games.

Without Embiid, the Sixers could opt to focus on next year.

4. Luka Doncic

Last week's rank: 3

After the Mavericks have lost seven of their last ten games, Luka Doncic will fall in this week's MVP Power Rankings.

The Mavericks have struggled over the past month. They accumulated a record over 7-9 in January and showed just how dire their situation is. Granted, the team has been struggling with health this season and is just one of three teams in the NBA to have a single lineup play over 100 minutes together.

Despite the teams' recent struggles, Doncic has flourished through the process. In January, the Slovenian averaged 37.1 points, 10.4 assists, and 9.4 rebounds per game. Doncic even exploded for a career-high 73 points in a weekend game against the Atlanta Hawks.

Since Doncic's 73-point explosion, The Mavericks have won just one game. Fellow guard Kyrie Irving has now missed multiple games with a nagging thumb injury but looks to make his comeback against the Philadelphia 76ers tonight.

With Irving back in the lineup, the Mavericks will look to regain some momentum before the February 8 trade deadline. The Mavericks have been a hot topic when it comes to trades, so expect Dallas to make an upgrade as the days go along.

If Irving and Doncic put on an amazing performance, Doncic could rise in the coming weeks after a massive opening with Joel Embiid's injury. The last time Doncic and Irving played together was January 22 against the Boston Celtics.

3. Giannis Antetokounmpo

Last week's rank: 5

Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks have run into a similar problem that the Mavericks have had. The team is just 1-4 in their last five games and has barely shown any signs of life outside of their 25-point comeback over the Mavs.

Despite the Bucks' recent struggles, Giannis has dominated through the process. The Greek Freak has scored over 25 points in each of his last five games and even dropped a near 50 piece against the Mavericks.

Since Milwaukee hired their new head coach, Doc Rivers, the team has fallen to 1-4 in their last five games. This could be early signs of a bigger problem for the Bucks, or this could be a litmus test for the Hall of Fame head coach. Either way, Bucks fans shouldn't worry about the teams' alarming start to this new era.

With Milwaukee's placement in the Eastern Conference falling, they could look to make an upgrade via trade. With just three days remaining before the trade deadline ends, now could be the perfect time to surround their two superstars with more talent.

The Bucks have struggled on the defensive end despite having a former Defensive Player of the Year winner in Giannis and a former candidate, Brook Lopez. The team could look to make an upgrade defensively.

If the Bucks were to make an upgrade via trade, they could improve their team enough to give Giannis a legitimate chance to win the MVP award. The Bucks are 33-17 and looking to improve to 34 wins with their game against the Phoenix Suns tomorrow night. Despite the Bucks' recent losses, Giannis rises from the No. 5 spot to the No. 3 spot in this week's rankings.

2. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Last week's rank: 4

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the OKC Thunder have dominated over the last week. Gilgeous-Alexander will rise in this week's rankings after an Embiid injury and great play.

Gilgeous-Alexander has led his team to three straight wins now, and after capturing first place in the Western Conference, Shai and the Thunder have maintained first place in the past week despite a hard schedule. Their most recent victory was a double overtime thriller over the Toronto Raptors.

While Shai only managed to score 23 points in the game against Toronto, he still recorded three blocks and two steals. Shai also managed to have 14 assists on Sunday night. With Shai's amazing play recently, he has led his team to multiple wins in a row.

Over the last week, the Thunder managed to beat the former champions, Denver Nuggets. With a combination of defense and rebounding, the Thunder managed to squeak past the Nuggets 105-100.

Over January, Shai managed to score over 30 points in 14 of the 17 games he played in January. This stretch of play can only be rivaled by Dallas' Luka Doncic and Philadelphia's Joel Embiid. Gilgeous-Alexander has managed to reach an elite level of scoring, which only strengthens his case for winning this season's MVP award.

OKC's next game will be against the Utah Jazz in a highly contested matchup in the Western Conference.

1. Nikola Jokic

Last week's rank: 2

After Embiid went down with an MCL injury, Nikola Jokic will retake the No. 1 spot in this week's MVP Power Rankings.

After leaping Embiid for the first spot in the MVP rankings, Jokic will look to hold on to that spot for a long time. The former two-time MVP will look to make it three in the coming months. He and the Denver Nuggets have played amazingly since the new year and have shown no signs of slowing down.

The Nuggets have now improved to 35-16 and are just .5 games behind the first-place OKC Thunder. The race for the first seed is only heating up as we inch closer to the all-star break. In a home-and-home matchup between the Portland Trailblazers, the Nuggets managed to dominate both games.

In the Nuggets' last win over the Trail Blazers, Jokic managed to clown Blazers center Deandre Ayton off of a pump fake. The fake got Ayton to look straight at the basket in anticipation of watching the ball swish through the net.

With Jokic now being labeled as the favorite to win the 2024 MVP award, he will need to keep an eye on his rearview mirror. The race for the MVP award just got closer for multiple names.

Even if Jokic doesn't win the MVP award, he has still managed to keep his Nuggets as one of the top contenders in the NBA. They will play the Los Angeles Lakers next on national TV. For more updates on the MVP race, trade rumors, and Dallas Mavericks basketball, stay plugged in.