When the Luka Doncic fiasco happened, the Dallas Mavericks fans thought nothing worse than that could happen to them. But there’s more.
The Mavs are facing a dire situation this season due to an extensive list of player injuries, which could potentially lead to game forfeitures.
The latest injury to Dante Exum, who has a broken hand and will be out indefinitely, adds to the team’s struggles, including their key players. Before Exum, Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis, Dereck Lively II, Daniel Gafford, Jaden Hardy, and Caleb Martin.
Dallas will face the Brooklyn Nets on March 24, and if the pattern continues, the Mavs could find themselves unable to put together a competitive roster. ESPN’s Bobby Marks has reported that the situation might escalate to the point where the Mavericks may have to consider forfeiting a game.
“If we get to March 24 which is the Brooklyn game or maybe if there’s more injuries that are coming, the Mavericks could be at a point where they’d have to forfeit a game. I’m not ready to go there yet because we’ve never seen that happen before,” he said.
Besides their injury woes, the Mavericks are dealing with salary cap complications under the NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement (CBA). However, Marks has suggested a possible workaround: the team could have injured players dress for games without actually playing them. This tactic would require some manipulation of the injury report to avoid potential penalties, but the league will be watchful for all of these adjustments.
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral NBA stories via Google! Follow Us
Also Read: Are The Dallas Mavericks The Unluckiest Team Of The 2025 Season?
Dallas Mavericks Have Only Eight Players To Choose From
While there’s a slim chance of a workaround for the Mavericks, there’s not much the management can do. They only have eight active players available for selection. Injuries have taken a considerable toll on the team, sidelining key contributors like Irving, Maxence-Prosper, and Exum for the entire season.
Adding to the challenge, Jaden Hardy and Kai Jones have been out of action since March 3, while P.J. Washington hasn’t played since early March. This injury epidemic leaves the Mavericks in a tricky situation as they strive to maintain competitiveness in the Western Conference.
Mavericks injury situation is absolutely dire with two-way guys Brandon Williams and Kessler Edwards running out of games…
— Kevin Gray Jr. (@KevinGraySports) March 15, 2025
Dallas is staring down the possibility of forfeiting games starting on March 24th if things remain currently the same as @BobbyMarks42 details #MFFL pic.twitter.com/BfVj31ah37
The Mavericks are relying on a mix of established names and developing talent among the eight healthy players. Klay Thompson and Spencer Dinwiddie are crucial for the team’s chances. Still, the situation is complicated because two of their available players, Brandon Williams and Kessler Edwards, are on two-way contracts.
This means their time on the court is limited, with Edwards only having three games left and Williams six. If the Mavericks run out of available players due to the restrictions of two-way contracts, they could face a situation where they cannot field a full roster for the Nets game.
They can also not think of a G League player to come up and make the play, as those prospects are not under contract with the team. The Mavericks have already dropped nine of their last 11 games and are clinging to 10th place in the Western Conference standings.
