Ever since the Luka Doncic trade happened, the question everyone has been asking is "Why Dallas, WHY?!" Much of that has been because Anthony Davis, as good as he is, felt like a pretty lousy return. Not only has the trade made the Mavericks worse, despite Cooper Flagg's emergence, but Davis' injury woes have only continued. The injury he suffered last night could impact where the Utah Jazz finish this season.
In the Jazz's win over the Mavericks, Davis got hurt while trying to defend Lauri Markkanen, as it looked like he suffered a significant hand injury.
Anthony Davis really made of GLASS this is crazy 😠pic.twitter.com/7nCHS8avz0
— BrickCenter (@BrickCenter_) January 9, 2026
And now it's been confirmed that he is out indefinitely with his new hand injury. More than that, he could be out for months, which could certainly call his season into question.
Dallas Mavericks star Anthony Davis has sustained ligament damage in his left hand, sources tell me and @BannedMacMahon. Depending on second opinion and if surgery is required, Davis could miss a number of months. pic.twitter.com/POS4szWjUY
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 9, 2026
So Davis is out, there still isn't really a timetable for when Kyrie Irving returns, and this will be the last year the Mavericks get to keep their pick, as their pick could could go to Charlotte in 2026, OKC in 2027 (sound familiar, Utah?), then again to OKC in 2028, then potentially to either Houston or Phoenix in 2029, then potentially to either San Antonio or Minnesota in 2030. Yikes.
Look, the Mavericks aren't completely hopeless, as Cooper Flagg is beginning to look as good as advertised, but it's becoming clear that their best route is to simply start over. Davis is still a good player, but he's aging and injury-prone. Ditto for Kyrie.
Flagg could be a worthy successor to Doncic, but the Mavericks' best option may be to build a better win-later team around him for a better tomorrow, and if they do, that's a problem for the Jazz because they could tank their way into knocking Jazz out of the bottom eight.
The more teams that tank, the worse it gets for the Jazz
After beating the Mavericks last night, the Jazz are currently No. 7 in the tanking race. The Mavericks are No. 9 and only half a game in back of the Jazz. Of course, it's only one game, and the Jazz still have pretty much half the season to ensure they keep their pick, but they'd be foolish to believe other teams won't join them in tanking over the next few weeks.
This is a loaded draft class, and certain teams are realizing they are not going anywhere the roster they have currently constructed, so they may act accordingly. Dallas is realizing in the harshest way that, despite their desires, tanking is the best direction for this season. It may not be long before other teams, like say, Memphis, come to the same realization.
For that same reason, the Jazz must start thinking about how many games they want Keyonte George and Lauri Markkanen to play before they get serious. They can't miss out on a loaded draft and sure as hell can't make the Thunder stronger.
In moments like these, all anyone can ask themselves, simply put, is "WHY DALLAS, WHY?!"