Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving make formidable duo. As trade deadline nears, can it exist?
As next month’s trade deadline draws closer, there’s a legitimate question of whether Davis and Irving will ever share the court again.
DALLAS — A banner that covers the American Airlines Center’s West entrance depicts two of the Dallas Mavericks’ headline players together. As Mavericks fans enter the building, blown-up images of Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving posing in front of the Dallas skyline greet them.
In February, Irving revealed that he and Davis discussed teaming up as far back as 2018. They have been Mavericks teammates for 11 months, but they’ve shared the court for only 25 minutes. Davis suffered a left adductor strain in his Dallas debut against the Houston Rockets on Feb. 8. Then, in a March 3 game against the Sacramento Kings, Irving tore the ACL in his left knee, an injury he is still recovering from 10 months later.
As next month’s trade deadline draws closer, there’s a legitimate question of whether Davis and Irving will ever share the court again.
The Mavericks are expected to listen to offers on Davis, their productive but often-injured superstar. In Dallas’ Dec. 25 loss to the Golden State Warriors, Davis suffered a groin strain that sidelined him for the team’s 0-3 West Coast road trip. Davis returned to the lineup Thursday, and after getting a game to knock off some rust, he looked dominant in the Mavericks’ 110-104 win over the Rockets on Saturday, notching 26 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks.
“It felt good that we won,” Davis said. “Individual stats don’t matter to me as long as we win. We were able to get our first win in the new year. (We’ve) been struggling. Came out with good intensity, good energy. Got down but made a run, (and) guys made shots and got stops. We were able to bounce back.”
The Mavericks, who snapped a four-game losing streak, are in 11th place in the Western Conference as of Sunday morning, three games behind the Portland Trail Blazers and the Memphis Grizzlies for a Play-In Tournament spot. At this point, qualifying for the Play-In will be an uphill battle. Irving’s presence certainly would help, but it’s unclear where the 33-year-old is in the recovery process.
When asked Thursday if there was any update on Irving’s status, Mavericks coach Jason Kidd simply said, “No.”
“Obviously we want him back,” Davis said. “He’s coming off a serious injury. Whenever you guys get a chance to talk to him, you can ask him that question. I don’t try to hassle guys about coming back. I ask him how he feels. But to rush him back, especially off an injury like that, you have to be smart.”
Whenever Irving is able to return — whether that’s weeks or months from now — it’s stating the obvious that he can boost the Mavericks’ 28th-ranked offense.
