Ever since the NBA world stood still on the night of the Luka Doncic trade to the Los Angeles Lakers, everything that can go wrong has gone wrong for the Dallas Mavericks. The organization which Doncic called home for six and a half seasons has seen the wheels fall off at every turn.
The Mavericks have posted an uninspiring 7-13 record since dealing their superstar to Los Angeles. Anthony Davis got injured in his first game with Dallas. Kyrie Irving is out for the year with a torn ACL. The injury list was filling up so quickly that the Mavericks were in serious threat of having to forfeit games. All this while chants of fire Nico Harrison regularly fill American Airlines Center.
This is the angriest basketball gods have been in the history of the NBA. https://t.co/oJVz5Wwp0h
— Keerthika Uthayakumar (@keerthikau) March 15, 2025
It certainly did not help the case of the Mavericks that while all this turmoil was going on in Dallas, the Lakers were soaring to contender status with Doncic in the mix. The Mavericks were supposed to be in 'win-now' mode, but that has obviously not been the case. This could not be more clear from the latest news coming out of Dallas.
Mavericks' decision continues to show how badly Lakers won the trade
The Mavericks recently assigned Davis to the Texas Legends to allow their new big man an opportunity to rehab with their G League affiliate. The Mavericks star was promptly recalled shortly after.
This offered Mavericks fans some optimism that while things are dire in Dallas now, perhaps they could get a little bit easier soon. However, it appears even the organization itself might be a little superstitious with the curse that many believe has plagued the team since the Doncic trade.
DLLS Sports reported that the Mavericks organization were having reservations about allowing Davis back onto the court in the 2024-25 NBA season.
"Anthony Davis really wants to play. There is no question about that. He wants to come back before this season ends. ... There are people close to the situation that are not convinced that him coming back is a good idea," the outlet stated on Twitter/X.
"Since this Luka trade, I think the Mavs understand this as acutely as anyone, everything that could go wrong for this team has gone wrong. And in that kind of vibe, do you want to bring Anthony Davis back and just risk anything bad happening to him?"
Is this the Mavericks officially waiving the white flag on the 2024-25 NBA season? It sure comes across that way. If Davis is indeed healthy enough to play in the near future, but the organization does hold him out, that is eye-opening as to how this 'win-now' approach is going for Dallas.
Of the two teams involved in this deal, it is unsurprising to see the Lakers as the squad that is actually ready to compete for a championship this season. JJ Redick has done a great job acclimating Doncic into his new environment. LeBron James has made the necessary sacrifices to help Luka get settled too. Apart from some recent injury troubles of their own, the things that have needed to fall into place for Los Angeles have done so.
The Lakers will always undeniably be the winners of this deal. However, it remains stunning how much more that becomes the case with each passing day.