On March 4, Kyrie Irving suffered a torn ACL as he was driving to the basket against the Kings.  

With Anthony Davis sidelined, Luka in L.A. and Irving now out for the season, the Mavericks’ “win-now” mode should be over for the rest of the year. They currently sit in 10^th place in the West, barely in a play-in spot. With less than 20 games left in the 2024-25 season, Mavs fans will not be too happy with the rest of the year.  

Irving has only had one injury-free one season in his career – 2022-23. He’s no stranger to injuries, but this one stings. Even after the Luka trade, the Mavericks were still poised for a possible playoff run, but without their main playmaker that road now gets even tougher.   

On the bright side, Max Christie (included in the Luka trade) is having somewhat of a breakout year. With many of the Dallas bigs sidelined along with Irving, Christie is fitting into the lineup well. For now, the Mavs will have to find a way to sneak their way into the playoffs to salvage any hope of a positive season. 

The competitive West now gets slightly less tense with the Mavs losing another key piece, and the Dallas sports world continues to get rattled. 

Cover image from @espn on Instagram