Following Anthony Davis being announced to miss at least six weeks due to ligament damage in his left hand, many fans and analysts posited the Dallas Mavericks' season would essentially be over, as the team would organically tank to the end of the season, whether they find a trade for Davis or not. However, Dallas has gone 5-2 since Davis exited the lineup, so with Davis avoiding surgery, there's still a chance he could come back in tandem with Kyrie Irving to help Dallas enter the playoff race.
This isn't something most Mavericks fans are going to want to hear, and it still remains a less likely scenario than not, but the Mavericks may be in a position to consider pushing for the Play-In Tournament if they can continue to stay afloat without Davis or Irving. There's a decent chance Davis is still on Dallas' roster past the February 5 trade deadline, so there will undoubtedly be discussion regarding him returning to the lineup if he isn't traded and is medically cleared to play again.
If the Mavericks are only 1.5 games out of the play-in like they are currently, or somewhere around that by the time Davis is cleared to play again, there's a pretty good chance Davis is going to push to play again, especially if Irving has rejoined Dallas' lineup by that point. This wouldn't be ideal for Dallas' draft lottery odds, nor would it likely result in a meaningful playoff run for the Mavericks, but there's definitely something to be said for being competitive in Cooper Flagg's rookie season.
AD avoiding surgery gives Mavs a small window to still push for playoffs
There are a ton of factors at play here, as there's still uncertainty over if Irving will return to Dallas' lineup or not this season. However, for those in the camp of wanting to see Davis shut down for the rest of the season should he remain in Dallas past the trade deadline, Dallas' recent surge isn't doing them any favors.
Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont reportedly still wants to see Irving, Flagg, and Davis all on the court together, and Davis' recent injury may have reopened that possibility, as Davis' trade value may have tanked following his hand injury, which could force Dallas to keep him for now. With 37 games left in the season, it's still too early to rule out Dallas being in the play-in race, especially with the Golden State Warriors (current eighth seed at 25-21) losing Jimmy Butler for the rest of the season.
The Mavericks are certainly talented enough to rattle off some late wins if Irving, Davis, and Flagg are all healthy together, but pushing for the play-in or playoffs definitely has its fair share of risks. If Irving or Davis got seriously re-injured toward the end of this season, it'd be disastrous from the standpoint that Dallas likely won't have enough juice to make a significant playoff run this season anyways.
The Mavericks would also fall out of the lottery if they made the playoffs, even though they could still remain in the lottery if they lost in the Play-In Tournament like they did last season. There are severe implications to consider if the Mavericks are thinking about bringing Davis back, granted he isn't traded.
However, the possibility of Dallas playing competitive games with a fully healthy roster toward the end of the season would at least be way more exciting than tanking to the end, even if it could cost them as far as not netting a highly-touted prospect in a loaded draft class. The Mavericks may end up organically tanking to prevent the possibility of Davis coming back, regardless still, but his potential return will weigh heavier the more Dallas is able to continue to win games.