The Dallas Mavericks have been teetering on the edge of the Western Conference playoff picture since they traded Luka Doncic, but they have finally received some good news.
Anthony Davis is expected to return to the lineup for the Mavericks’ game against the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night, according to multiple reports.
Dallas has back-to-back games in New York and will take on the New York Knicks on Tuesday, but Davis is expected to sit for that game.
Davis was the big return for the Mavericks in the blockbuster trade that sent Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers last month. The 10-time All-Star suffered an abductor strain in his debut with Dallas on Feb. 8 and has not played since. The injury to Davis has made Mavericks fans even more frustrated about the Doncic trade than they already were.
A report earlier this month created serious doubt over whether Davis would play again this season. Kyrie Irving is out for the remainder of the year with a torn ACL, so many had predicted that the Mavericks would shut Davis down since they have little to no chance of making a deep playoff run.
The Mavericks entered Monday with a record of 34-37 and are just outside the play-in tournament due to the Phoenix Suns having a tiebreaker over them.
Davis is still under contract for two more guaranteed seasons (at roughly $56 million per year) and also holds a $62.8 million player option for 2027-28. The 32-year-old will likely see a reduced role down the stretch given his injury history.
