The Dallas Mavericks made the 2024 NBA Finals led by their backcourt of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, and despite a loss to the Boston Celtics, they reloaded in the offseason for another run. Heading into the 2024-25 season with a mix of veterans and young pieces, Dallas was hoping they had enough to get over the hump.

However, their season took a wild turn after Dallas’ Nico Harrison agreed to trade away Doncic for Anthony Davis and Max Christie, sending shockwaves throughout the sports world and receiving tons of negative feedback. On top of that, it was announced Tuesday that Irving would miss the remainder of the season due to a torn ACL.

Irving joins his new teammate Davis on the sidelines, as Dallas has gone from championship contenders to potentially a lottery team in a matter of weeks. Seeing this situation unfold, former Chicago Bulls guard Patrick Beverley shared the harsh truth of the Mavericks’ future in a recent episode of his show, The Pat Bev Podcast.

“You talk about a guy who’s [in a] contract year, looking towards getting a max, Anthony Davis is hurt, Luka Doncic trade,” Beverley said. “As an owner, how do you play out this situation? Do you max him out just because of the love and respect for what he’s brought to the table? That’s where it’s the grey area with players, and that’s why you see players on the move so much.”

Irving has a player option for the 2025-26 season, but the recent events in Dallas could make it difficult for him to be convinced to stay around. While there was some excitement around an Irving and Davis duo, it seems as if Mavericks fans might not see it again unless they offer Irving a max deal.

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