In just 30 days, the Dallas Mavericks went from playoff hopefuls to a franchise in crisis.

Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

A month ago, the Dallas Mavericks were still in the mix as a legitimate playoff team in the Western Conference. On February 1st, they were ninth in the West with a 26-23 record, and optimism was growing with Kyrie Irving returning to form and Luka Doncic expected to be back soon.

Just a few months removed from a trip to the NBA Finals, the Mavericks seemed poised to make a run.

Fast forward to today, and their season is in complete shambles.

Their franchise player was traded, their new star suffered an injury in his first game, their best center went down, they raised ticket prices in the middle of a disaster, and Kyrie Irving just tore his ACL, ending his season.

In just 30 days, the Mavericks went from potential contenders to a franchise in turmoil. Here’s how it all collapsed.

February 2nd: Luka Doncic Is Traded For Anthony Davis In One Of The Most Shocking Trades In NBA History

At midnight on February 2nd, the basketball world was rocked when the Mavericks traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis and Max Christie.

Doncic, a five-time All-NBA First Team member and one of the three best players in the world at just 25 years old, was suddenly gone.

The move blindsided everyone. Doncic himself was reportedly in shock, and Dallas fans were furious, staging protests outside the Mavericks’ arena.

The trade was met with universal confusion—how could Dallas part ways with a generational talent just months after reaching the NBA Finals?

Reports suggested that Mavericks’ ownership had doubts about giving Doncic a supermax extension, questioning whether he was “the guy” after struggling against Jaylen Brown in last year’s Finals.

Concerns over his conditioning and reported clashes with management led to a shocking decision: they moved on.

General Manager Nico Harrison defended the move, stating, “Defense wins championships.” Fans weren’t convinced, and Dallas lost its franchise player overnight.

February 8th: Anthony Davis Gets Injured In His Debut

After the stunning trade, the Mavericks hoped Anthony Davis would help them stay competitive. In his debut against the Houston Rockets, he looked phenomenal, putting up 26 points, 16 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 blocks. Despite initial boos, he won over the Dallas crowd with his two-way dominance.

But then disaster struck.

In the third quarter, Davis went down grabbing his groin—a devastating sight considering his history of injuries. The Mavericks’ medical staff later diagnosed him with a left adductor strain, ruling him out for four to six weeks.

This was an absolute nightmare for Dallas. They had just given up one of the best offensive players of all time, and the superstar they got in return couldn’t even last one game.

February 10th: Daniel Gafford Goes Down With An Injury

Just two days after Davis’ injury, another blow hit the Mavericks: Daniel Gafford, their only reliable center, went down with a Grade 3 MCL sprain in his right knee.

This was especially brutal because Dallas had already lost Dereck Lively II in January to a foot injury, leaving Gafford as their only legitimate big man. With both out, the Mavericks had no rim protection left, which completely destroyed their defensive structure.

Gafford’s injury was the turning point where it became clear that Dallas was in serious trouble. The team was now without Doncic, Davis, Gafford, and Lively.

At this point, Dallas was just waiting for the next disaster to strike—and it didn’t take long.

March 3rd: Mavericks Raise Ticket Prices, Fans Revolt

As if things weren’t bad enough, the Mavericks made one of the worst PR decisions in recent history: they raised ticket prices.

After Doncic was traded, ticket prices dropped by 40%, reflecting the frustration of fans. But the front office responded by increasing season ticket prices by another 8.61% for next season.

Fans lost their minds. It was one thing to lose their franchise player, but it was another to ask them to pay more to watch a team that was falling apart.

The team justified the increase by claiming it was “to invest in the franchise”, but it felt like a blatant cash grab after the disaster of the past month.

The backlash was immediate, and the anger toward Mavericks management reached new heights.

March 4th: Kyrie Irving Tears His ACL, Ending The Mavericks’ Season

The final nail in the coffin came on March 4th when Kyrie Irving suffered a torn ACL in a loss to the Sacramento Kings.

Irving had been the lone bright spot for the Mavericks after the Luka trade. He was averaging 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists, and he had kept Dallas afloat while Davis was out.

He was also the only player in the NBA shooting at least 40% from three and 90% from the free-throw line.

And now, he was gone too.

The injury came late in the first quarter when Irving landed awkwardly on a drive to the basket. He stayed in to hit two free throws, but an MRI confirmed the worst—his season was over.

At this point, the Mavericks’ season was officially dead. With Davis still injured, Gafford out, Lively recovering, and Irving done for the year, there was no saving them.

The Mavericks’ 30-day collapse is one of the most stunning in NBA history. At the start of February, they had real playoff hopes. Today, they’re on the brink of missing the Play-In Tournament.

At 32-30, the Mavericks are barely clinging to the 10th seed, and their future is now completely uncertain.

What happens next? Davis will return eventually, but can he stay healthy? Will Irving ever be the same after his injury? Can this front office be trusted to rebuild properly?

One thing is clear: Dallas’ season is over, and the road back won’t be easy.