Mavs' injuries and cap woes could force forfeit — report

The Dallas Mavericks may face a scenario where they could be forced to forfeit an upcoming game on 24 March away at the Brooklyn Nets, according to a report by Bleacher Report.

The Mavs’ roster has been decimated by injuries, with Kyrie Irving (torn ACL), Olivier Maxence-Prosper (right wrist), and Dante Exum (fractured left hand) sidelined for the season. Meanwhile, Jaden Hardy (right ankle sprain) and Kai Jones (quad) have been out since 3 March, and P.J. Washington (right ankle sprain) hasn’t played since the start of the month .

Dallas currently has eight healthy players: Brandon Williams, Dwight Powell, Klay Thompson, Naji Marshall, Caleb Martin, Max Christie, Spencer Dinwiddie, and Kessler Edwards. However, Williams and Edwards are on two-way contracts, meaning each can only be active for a limited number of NBA games. Edwards has three available games remaining, and Williams has six. If they’re used up too early, the Mavs could run out of active bodies to field a proper roster by 24 March.

Compounding the problem, the Mavs have no room beneath the first apron hard cap — triggered by last offseason’s Klay Thompson sign-and-trade and the Naji Marshall signing — to sign additional reinforcements. The team also cannot simply promote other G League players from the Texas Legends, since they’re not under contract with Dallas.

Some injured players might return in time to avoid the worst-case scenario; P.J. Washington and Kai Jones, for instance, could rejoin the lineup and push the Mavs’ roster back to compliance. Another alternative is to list injured players as “active” to avert a forfeiture, though this could raise eyebrows regarding the accuracy of the injury report.

The Mavericks, who have dropped nine of their last 11 games, are 33-35 and still hold onto 10th place in the Western Conference. Whether they can dodge a potential doomsday scenario two Mondays from now while staying competitive in the play-in race remains to be seen.