Everything has gone downhill for the Dallas Mavericks since they shocked fans by trading franchise icon Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis and Max Christie.
It was only a matter of time before general manager Nico Harrison’s decision came back to haunt the Mavs. Just over a month after the trade, nearly half of the Dallas squad, including Davis, is injured, and they are now at risk of having to forfeit their games.
NBA Fans React As Mavericks Face Potential Forfeits
The Mavericks’ biggest star, Kyrie Irving, suffered a season-ending torn ACL, while Davis has been out with an abductor strain since his debut on Feb. 8. Dallas is also without Olivier Maxence-Prosper (right wrist), and Dante Exum (fractured left hand) for the season while Jaden Hardy (right ankle sprain) and Kai Jones (quad) have been out since 3 March, and P.J. Washington (right ankle sprain) hasn’t played since the start of the month.
The Mavs only have eight healthy players, and two of them, Brandon Williams and Kessler Edwards, are on two-way contracts; therefore, they can’t play more than 50 games for the NBA. Edwards has three games, and Williams has six games left before they hit the threshold.
ESPN’s Bobby Marks weighed on the Mavs’ struggles and suggested that in Dallas’ away game against the Brooklyn Nets on March 24, they may not meet the required eight active players to play 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,” Marks said via ESPN. “I’m not ready to go there yet because we’ve never seen that happen before.”
To further jeopardize Dallas’ season, the Mavs can’t sign another free agent if they don’t have eight players for a game. They are $51,000 below the first apron under the league’s new collective bargaining agreement and will have to wait until April 10 to sign a player under a hardship exception. That could mean the games between March 24 and April 10 would be forfeited, and Mavs fans were absolutely fuming over General Manager Nico Harrison.
“Nico wins worst gm of all time,” a fan declared.
Nico wins worst gm of all time
— MAGA Firearms & Tech (@magafirearmstec) March 15, 2025
“This all started with the worst trade in history,” another fan noted.
It’s worth noting that Harrison had argued that the Dončić trade would put them in a win-now situation, but with potential forfeits looming, the fans are losing patience.
“Nico Harrison’s decision-making needs to be studied,” a fan wrote.
Nico Harrison’s decision making needs to be studied
— Meme Diplomat (@UpInArmsREVOLT) March 15, 2025
“I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anyone as cooked as Nico Harrison,” a fan confessed.
“The curse of Luka Dončić has commenced,” another fan declared.
“Holy Nico Harrison, I truly feel bad for Mavs organization at this point because they just got hit w the wrath of God like never seen before in basketball or sports in general,” another fan wrote.
The writing was clearly on the wall for Harrison and the Mavericks, and even without the injuries, sending Dončić to the Lakers was never going to be a great decision. Dallas is currently sitting in 10th with a 33-35 record in the Western Conference, and with the Suns closing in, they are at a real risk of losing out on the final play-in spot as well.