Did the Mavericks make the most foolish trade in history? Davis had issues before his injury: his agility is clearly worse than before.

On November 8th Beijing time, is the Mavericks' trade of Doncic for Davis the dumbest deal ever? According to The Athletic reporter Clark, several NBA insiders noticed a decline in Davis’s mobility even before the Mavericks announced last week that he would miss multiple games due to a calf injury.

Clark wrote:“Scouts and coaches from other teams revealed that during the Mavericks’ first four games this season, they observed Davis’s physical agility was noticeably reduced compared to previous years.”

The Mavericks started this season with a 1-3 record in their first four games, during which Davis posted impressive averages of 25 points and 11.8 rebounds per game. On October 30th, in the first quarter against the Pacers, Davis left the game early due to ‘left calf soreness.’

On November 1st, the Mavericks announced Davis would miss at least two more games, and so far, he has been absent for four consecutive matches.The Mavericks’ record has fallen to 2-7 this season, placing them at the bottom of the Western Conference. In the four games Davis missed, the team lost every match, suffering a four-game losing streak. Meanwhile, the Lakers currently hold a 7-2 record, ranking second in the West.

After Davis was traded to the Mavericks mid-last season, he only played 9 games for the team due to injury. This also marks the second consecutive season a key Mavericks player has sparked concerns over fitness issues. Previously, Doncic faced similar scrutiny regarding his conditioning before being traded to the Lakers.

Davis became a topic of discussion because when he reported to the Mavericks’ training camp, his weight was 268 pounds (about 121.6 kg), which is 15 pounds (around 6.8 kg) heavier than his weight at the Lakers’ training camp before the 2024-2025 season.

During this off-season, Davis spent time recovering from eye surgery, which treated an eye injury he suffered in April. Following the surgery, he will need to wear protective goggles for the remainder of his NBA career.

After the second game of the 2025-2026 season, Mavericks head coach Kidd said the eye surgery affected Davis’s conditioning program this summer. He also mentioned, “We played him 36 minutes last night hoping it would help him regain his fitness.”

Now, Kidd must wait for Davis to recover before continuing his conditioning plan. However, how long Davis’s fragile "glass body" can hold up remains uncertain.

What pains Mavericks fans most is Doncic’s hot streak. Although he has only played 5 games this season after slimming down, his averages of 40 points, 11 rebounds, and 9.2 assists per game only deepen fans’ feeling that the Mavericks got the short end of the stick. What do you think about this trade? Did the Mavericks lose big? Feel free to share your thoughts.