Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis will undergo hand surgery to repair a damaged ligament in his left hand which will sideline him for several months.
Shams Charania is reporting that given the recovery timeline, and Dallas’ on court struggles, it’s likely that his season is effectively over at this point. At 15-25, the Mavericks sit in 12th spot in the Western Conference and are 6 games behind the 8th place Warriors at the moment.
Even if Dallas were to make the play-in tournament, it’s unlikely that the team would rush their star back into the mix for what would likely be a short lived playoff push.
The 32 year old appeared to injure his hand last Thursday against the Utah Jazz while defending Utah’s Lauri Markkanen. Prior to going down, Davis had 21 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists and a block across 35 minutes.
Since arriving in Dallas last February, the former top pick has suited up for just 29 regular season games with the Mavs as a result of a variety of injuries which have affected his availability. In the 20 games without Davis in the lineup this season, the team is 5-15.
Across 20 games in 2025-26 the 6’10” forward has averaged 20.4pts/11.1reb/2.8ast while shooting 50.6% from the field, and 72.8% from the free throw line. Davis remains under contract through the 2026-27 campaign, and has a $62M player option in 2027-28.
The injury is a major blow to Dallas for several reasons. The on court effect is obvious. In the 20 games without Davis in the lineup this season, the team is 5-15. However, rumours of a potential Davis trade had been swirling in the weeks leading up to the injury, with reports indicating that the team was in advanced talks to complete a trade involving the Atlanta Hawks.
With this injury now in play, it’s a virtual guarantee that Davis won’t be moved ahead of the February 5th NBA trade deadline, and also makes him an even larger injury risk for a team to take on in a potential offseason deal.
It would be one thing if Davis had re-aggravated an existing soft tissue ailment, however this hand injury is new, and doesn’t do much to dispel the “fragile” narrative that has followed him around for most of his professional career.
Dating back to 2024, Davis has missed time due to: hand, groin, calf, leg, Achilles, Adductor, thigh, abdomen, foot, Plantar, ankle, shoulder, elbow, hip, back, eye, and knee injuries (with many of those popping up multiple times).
Sources in Dallas say that he should be fine for the beginning of the 2026-27 NBA season, but whether or not he remains in a Mavs uniform at that point is anyone’s guess.
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