Will Dallas Mavericks have to forfeit NBA games? Understanding their injury-stricken squad situation

The Dallas Mavericks are facing a huge problem after trading their star man Luka Doncic during the February trade market.

Will Dallas Mavericks have to forfeit NBA games? Understanding their injury-stricken squad situation

Luka Doncic and Jason Kidd

The Dallas Mavericks are in a slump this 2024-25 NBA season. Everything has gone wrong for the squad since trading Luka Doncic in an unexpected move. Some fans refer to it as the ‘Luka Curse,’ while others believe it’s karma. In any case, the Mavericks’ terrible luck gets worse with each passing game. The Mavs have every possible major player injured for them.

The Mavericks suffered another setback in their blowout defeat to the Houston Rockets on Friday night. Dante Exum sustained an injury barely minutes into the contest. He started and played barely seven minutes before going to the locker room. Soon after, ESPN’s Shams Charania stated that Exum had fractured a bone in his hand and was out indefinitely.

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The Mavs’ injury list is as follows:

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Dante Exum – Out, P.J. Washington – Out, Kai Jones – Out, Jaden Hardy – Out, Anthony Davis – Out, Daniel Gafford – Out, Dereck Lively II – Out, Olivier-Maxence Prosper – Out for season, Kyrie Irving – Out for the season

With Exum injured, the Mavericks now have only eight playable players. And with 14 games remaining in the season, things are looking bleak. The Mavericks’ current injury crisis may compel them to forfeit games, becoming the first team in NBA history to do so. The only way they can prevent giving up games is if several of their injured players recover.

However, only P.J. Washington appears to be on the verge of returning from his lengthy injury list. Others continue to wait to be cleared by team doctors to return to action. The Mavericks’ playoff chances were pretty much dashed when Irving was ruled out for the season. With additional injuries stacking up, Dallas is on the verge of creating NBA history in the worst possible way.

Mavs HC Jason Kidd opens up on his side’s injury woes

The Dallas Mavericks face a huge issue with a major portion of their roster injured. The Rockets game added more pain to the Mavs’ fanbase, leading to major doubts about their participation in the upcoming NBA games. After the game, Mavs HC Jason Kidd made his opinions clear regarding the Dante Exum injury.

Yeah, it’s tough you know it’s unfortunate. He breaks his left hand and I think he broke his right hand at the start of the season. So this has been a tough season for him.

Jason Kidd said
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Putting Exum’s injuries aside, the Mavericks endured a humiliating loss to the Houston Rockets. They shot only 41.5% throughout the night. It was one of their poorest offensive performances this season. Kidd’s main issue now is having sufficient players to compete. Hence, it remains to be seen how the Mavs go about this issue in the next few days.

Jason Kidd’s problems add up after his honest admission a few days ago

The Mavericks have been injury-stricken for the past few weeks, with the latest injury coming in the form of Dante Exum. Notably, Jason Kidd was already done with his side’s injuries before Exum’s. Against the Phoenix Suns this past Sunday, Kidd made his opinions clear regarding the Mavs’ injury situation.

I’ve never seen this. Where you can’t take someone out to rest them because we had no one to put in.

Jason Kidd said

It almost appears like the Mavericks are being penalized for trading away Luka Doncic by the basketball gods. Those who trust in karma will see that this team is currently experiencing negative consequences. Ultimately, the Mavs will have to come up with a quick solution if they are to avoid forfeiting their upcoming games this season.