It appears things will only get worse for the Dallas Mavericks before they improve. It will certainly take a while for the organization and its fan base to move on from the controversial Luka Doncic trade.
Things have only gone from bad to worse, with injuries to Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis playing a significant role. Though landing generational talent Cooper Flagg was a blessing in disguise, the decision to trade Doncic has proven to be a complete bust.
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In crisis mode, the management is now having to make tough calls. The resurrection process began with the ouster of GM Nico Harrison, who was key in orchestrating the trade. Retooling a lot of things, the Mavs decided to part ways with Davis ahead of the deadline.
The deal sent Davis to the Washington Wizards. Reflecting on the AD trade, Mavericks Coach Jason Kidd was disappointed that things didn’t work out with the ten-time All-Star.
“It was unfortunate. His health. We never got to see everyone together, so not just AD, but Kai and with Coop, so unfortunately, we didn’t have that opportunity. AD is an incredible basketball player and a great human being,”said J-Kidd.
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The Big 3 that never happened
The addition of Flagg did bring some optimism to the Mavericks camp. Fans, who had lost all hope in the organization, were suddenly intrigued by the Duke sensation. Many believed Flagg sat perfectly alongside Davis and Irving, given their respective skill sets.
It would be a while before we saw them together, especially with Irving sustaining an ACL tear the previous season. Adding to it, Davis wasn’t the luckiest when it came to health, given his injury-prone nature, which was also the case this season.
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It was sad not to get to see the trio share the court. At the same time, one also had to take into account that AD and Kyrie had played only one game together, during which the former Los Angeles Lakers big man left in the second half.
Speaking of Davis and Flagg, they played 20 games with Flagg. Not to mention, Coop and Kai are yet to share the court.
Once again, an unfortunate situation for AD, who had come to Dallas with a mission. But he was never able to get going, barring the first half of his debut game.
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The curious case of AD
Suffering a left adductor strain in his very first game for the Mavs, AD was listed out for the next couple of weeks. The pressure was now on Irving to do most of the heavy lifting on the offense. The extra load ended up taking its toll eventually, with Kyrie ending up with a torn ACL. However, there was optimism heading into the current season, with the addition of Flagg.
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Yet, one could not pressure the Duke product to come and take stock immediately. The rookie would surely need help navigating his way, an area in which Davis could help him greatly. Sadly, health remained an issue for AD, who continued to deal with injuries and missed time.
In the end, The Brow managed to play in only 29 of the possible 83 games for Dallas, going 16-13, averaging 20.2 points, 10.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists.
All things considered, one hopes he stays healthy in Washington, as he still has a lot left to give to the game.
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This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Feb 6, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.