Mavericks Desperate for Help as Injury Crisis Threatens Forfeits
The Dallas Mavericks are in the midst of an unprecedented injury crisis, with a staggering nine players sidelined. Despite their struggles, they’ve managed to put together a roster each game, but they’re now on the brink of disaster one more injury could leave them with fewer than eight active players, forcing potential forfeits.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst revealed on The Hoop Collective podcast that the Mavericks have pleaded with the NBA for assistance, hoping for an exemption that would allow them to sign players without hitting the salary cap’s first apron. However, as Tim Bontemps explained, the league has little room to accommodate their request.
Brian Windhorst: “From what I understand, [the Mavs] have asked the league for relief, and the league to this point has not offered them relief.”
Tim Bontemps: “The league simply can’t grant them relief. Hard salary cap limits exist for a reason. If they bend the rules for one team, every other franchise will demand the same treatment. That’s why teams leave financial wiggle room instead of operating just $50,000 below the cap.”
With no lifeline from the NBA, the Mavericks are in for a brutal end to the season. Their only options? Pray for a miracle or risk fielding players who aren’t fully recovered just to avoid humiliation.
Currently, seven full-time players are out, along with two-way player Kai Jones. The injured list includes Jaden Hardy (ankle), Anthony Davis (adductor), Dante Exum (hand), Olivier-Maxence Prosper (wrist), Daniel Gafford (knee), Dereck Lively II (foot), and Kyrie Irving (knee), while Caleb Martin (hip) remains day-to-day.
Exum, Prosper, Gafford, and Irving are unlikely to return this season, meaning others must recover quickly to keep the team afloat. However, this isn’t about chasing a Playoff spot it’s about avoiding national embarrassment. The Mavericks have already become a laughingstock after trading away Luka Dončić, and forfeiting games would only deepen the ridicule.
There is some hope, as Anthony Davis and Jaden Hardy have begun ramping up for a return, even practicing with the G League’s Texas Legends. But if Davis is rushed back too soon and reinjures himself, he and Kyrie could spend most of next season on the sidelines a devastating prospect for a team already in crisis.
The Mavericks are running out of time, options, and healthy bodies. If things don’t turn around soon, this season could go down as one of the most disastrous in franchise history.
