The trade for Luka Doncic in exchange for Anthony Davis has garnered mixed reception – with fans saying it wasn’t even a win for both sides as it did not solve any existing issues for both teams. The Lakers needed a big man, and the Mavericks needed offensive firepower. But with Anthony Davis out, it seems that the Mavericks just got hit with an unlucky streak.

Davis made a massive debut for Dallas, and he scored 26 points, 16 rebounds, seven assists, and three blocks in 31 minutes – which proved to be a strong show of what he has to offer for the Mavericks heading into the second half of the season. However, that seemed to be a good sight, until Davis went down without contact from offensive player Alperen Sengun.

The new big man for Dallas would go on to exit the game against the Rockets, and he did not return. At first, it did seem to be a minor injury, until the Mavericks announced that he suffered a left adductor strain, and now he is expected to miss multiple weeks – in a crucial stretch where the Dallas Mavericks would be needing his services to hunt for a playoff spot.

Shifting Odds

The Dallas Mavericks started out as one of the heavy favorites to win this season for the NBA Finals, with promising odds of +900 – which was third overall to begin the season behind the Boston Celtics (+300) and the Denver Nuggets (+750). As of the time of writing, the odds for the Mavericks have plummeted not just because of their move to trade Luka Doncic, but also with Davis out with an injury.

Well, it does seem that nothing has been easy for the team. The Mavericks are now 28-25, winners of two in a row and 5-5 in their last 10 games, with odds of +3300. They are definitely not in a good spot right now, and one can expect the Mavs are going to miss out on the big chances that they have should they continue to falter.

With Davis injured, the Mavericks might well be relying on the same unit that they have for most of this season when Doncic was injured, and it is safe to say that there are a lot of big expectations for a team that is said to be the only squad capable of defeating the top-seed and NBA-best Oklahoma City Thunder.

Traded at the Right Time

The Lakers definitely had some doubts about trading Davis, but it seems that the Lakers would need massive assurance about his health, which has been a major concern in the past. When he's healthy, AD is one of the league's most dominant players, both offensively and defensively.

The challenge with him has always been staying on the court consistently. Trading him at the right time would mean cashing in on his value when he's performing at his peak or before injuries hit, but not too early when he's still improving and building chemistry with the team.

With the Lakers, Davis averaged 25.7 points, 12.0 rebounds, and 3.4 assists on 52.8% shooting from the field. He played a total of 42 games for the Lakers before being traded this season, and getting injured again means that the Lakers did bring their plans out at the right time, especially with Doncic now coming back to play.