The Dallas Mavericks made a franchise-altering move before the trade deadline last month, and things haven’t exactly panned out as they would have liked.
The Mavericks took advantage of a crumbling situation in Brooklyn by trading for Kyrie Irving, who is easily the best co-star that Luka Dončić has ever played with. It was thought that the acquisition could put Dallas over the top, as they were 29-26 and tied for 5th place in the Western Conference when the trade went down on February 6th.
Trade For Kyrie Irving Hasn’t Worked Out For Dallas Mavericks
Things started off nicely with back-to-back wins and Irving leading the way in scoring, but things have gone south since. The Mavericks are 3-8 in their last 11 games, and are currently sitting in 8th place with five teams breathing down their necks for a playoff spot.
The Jazz, Thunder, Lakers, and Pelicans are all one game behind Dallas in the standings, meaning that a two-game losing streak could push them all the way down to 12th or 13th and firmly out of the playoff picture. Both conferences have been highly contested all season long, but as it stood before Monday’s action, the 5th seed and 12th seed in the West are separated by just 2.5 games.
According to reports, the Mavs could be without both Irving and Doncic until at least Friday.
Kyrie Irving (right foot soreness) and Luka Doncic (left thigh strain) have been ruled OUT again for tonight's game vs. the Grizzlies, the Mavericks say. pic.twitter.com/8IgpVES7Wd
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) March 13, 2023
Unavailable Stars Could Spell Doom For Dallas
Both players have been ruled out of Monday’s game against Memphis, and there are doubts that either will be available when the team travels to San Antonio to take on the Spurs. The Grizzlies have plenty to play for and could spell trouble for the shorthanded Mavericks, but the Spurs are in the middle of a tanking effort, and should provide a notch in the win column regardless.
But even going 1-1 in a two game stretch could prove to be detrimental. The schedule doesn’t get any easier, as Dallas will take on the Lakers, the Grizzlies again, and the Warriors over the following three games, making this arguably the most important 5-game stretch remaining on their schedule.
Doncic is currently second in the league in points per game with 33, and Irving is in the top-10 as well with 27.1 per. To say that the Dallas Mavericks have big shoes to fill when both of them are absent would be an understatement.
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