Anthony Davis has injured his left hand in the final few minutes of the Mavericks’ fixture against the Jazz tonight. With the game tied 107-107, the Mavericks’ star headed to the locker room after coming in contact with Lauri Markkanen on a drive-in.
A better angle of the Anthony Davis injury.
He has to stop before making it back to the locker room. https://t.co/RdIr5vODjw pic.twitter.com/sLy9nrd9aK
— Ron Harrod Jr. (@RonKnowsSports) January 9, 2026
The Mavericks lost the game 114-116 as Keyonte George hit the game-winning bucket for the Jazz with 29 seconds left on the clock.
Following the game, the Mavericks’ head coach, Jason Kidd, further added to their fans’ woes as he said during the press conference that all they know right now is Davis has hurt his left hand, giving a very vague update on the star big man’s availability in the near future.
Anthony Davis exited the game with 21 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, one steal, and one block while shooting 10-20 from the field (50.0%). Three players had scored over 20 points for the Mavericks (Cooper Flagg had 26 and Klay Thompson had 23), but it was not enough against a 33-point night from Lauri Markkanen.
The Finnish forward ended the game with seven rebounds, four assists, and two blocks as well, while shooting 14-26 from the field (53.8%) but struggling 2-8 from beyond the arc (25.0%).
If this injury results in an extended absence, then it poses a major problem for the Mavericks. The Dallas-based franchise is reportedly currently mulling over the future of Anthony Davis with the team.
The Mavericks’ star center returned only recently after missing a couple of games due to a groin injury.
After Trae Young’s trade to the Wizards, the Hawks are reportedly considered the primary suitors for Anthony Davis, who also apparently anticipates getting traded this season.
But if Davis stays injured before the February 5th trade deadline, then it gives the Mavericks less leverage to get significant trade value for Davis, and they only benefit from the freed-up cap space, as the Hawks did with an injured Trae Young.
While the Hawks had a potential use for that cap space, only getting free cap space for Anthony Davis is not the ideal situation for the Mavericks, who would seek to get more value in return.
This could also be a convoluted silver lining for Mavericks owner Patrick Dumont, who wanted to wait for Kyrie Irving to get healthy until they decide on Anthony Davis’ future.
But with the bad news on Kyrie Irving likely not returning before the trade deadline, it seemed an Anthony Davis trade was imminent. The Mavericks are 25-43 since they traded for Davis.
Before tonight’s game, the reports suggested that Davis is seeking a destination where he can earn a max extension, indicating further pressure on the Mavericks’ front office to either extend his contract or trade him.
However, this injury reduces the leverage Anthony Davis had in the trade market as well, as teams would be less likely to trade for an injured player unless it’s a bargain deal.
Therefore, this injury has presented a unique dilemma for the Mavericks. Do they take the risk with Anthony Davis and not pursue a trade, or should they trade him for lesser value than what they could get in an open market with a healthy Davis?
Let us know what you think they should do in the comments section.
