The Dallas Mavericks are suffering through a stretch never seen before in NBA history. Here's a look at what they've been through since mid-January: Dereck Lively II suffers a stress fracture in his ankle, Maxi Kleber fractures his foot, Nico Harrison trades Luka Doncic without warning to LA Lakers (along with Kleber and Markieff Morris) for Anthony Davis and Max Christie, Harrison trades Quentin Grimes to the Philadelphia 76ers for Caleb Martin (who has yet to play a game for the Mavs), Anthony Davis suffers an Adductor strain 31 minutes into his Dallas debut, P.J. Washington sprains his ankle that has caused him to be in and out of the lineup, Daniel Gafford sprains his MCL, and Kyrie Irving tears his ACL.
That's an insane list of things to happen to a team in a season, much less in a span of about six weeks. That has left some players still on the team in a state of surprise, such as Klay Thompson.
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Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis (and guard Klay Thompson
Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis (3) and guard Klay Thompson (31) celebrates after Davis dunks the ball during the second quarter against the Houston Rockets at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Thompson chose the Mavericks last offseason because he and the front office believed he was the missing piece to a championship. They went to the NBA Finals last year without him but couldn't shoot the ball well enough to contend against the Boston Celtics. Thompson also believed he'd be getting a ton of open shots off of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. Doncic is now gone, and Irving is done for the season and likely most of next season.
Klay Thompson's father, Mychal, a radio commentator for the Los Angeles Lakers, recently appeared with ESPN Los Angeles and spoke about his son's tenure with the team and what the vibe is like.
Mychal Thompson (@champagnennuts) spoke on his son Klay’s experience in Dallas since the Luka trade. pic.twitter.com/qxdt7vM8KR
— ESPN Los Angeles (@ESPNLosAngeles) March 6, 2025
“He thought with Luka and Kyrie that he had a chance to get back to the Finals,” Mychal Thompson said. “Obviously Luka left. I told him, ‘Well when AD is coming, you still got a chance to get to the Finals ‘cause AD’s that good.’ Then he’s hurt! And then Gafford got hurt. Then Lively got hurt. So yeah, Klay’s stuck in purgatory right now… I think they’re going to lose ten in a row.”
Mychal Thompson isn't wrong; the Mavericks very easily could lose 10 in a row. Here's a look at their remaining 19 games: vs. Grizzlies, vs. Suns, at Spurs, at Spurs, at Rockets, vs. 76ers, at Pacers, vs. Pistons, at Nets, at Knicks, at Magic, at Bulls, vs. Nets, vs. Hawks, at Clippers, at Clippers, vs. Lakers, vs. Raptors, at Grizzlies.
Dallas is hanging onto the 10th seed right now, but they're only 2.5 games ahead of the Suns for the final spot in the Play-In Tournament. There's still plenty of time for the Mavericks to fall out of the postseason entirely, something that seems likely without Irving and possibly Davis for the rest of the season.
READ MORE: NBA analyst proposes Mavericks-Suns trade for Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson
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