DALLAS, TX — The Dallas Mavericks have one final preseason game left in the books tomorrow night at 7:00 p.m. against the Detroit Pistons. Luka Doncic will not be suiting up due to a calf sprain injury, and Kyrie Irving is up in the air about whether he will play tomorrow either.
Irving’s groin issue kept him out of the Mavs’ first two preseason games, but he fully participated in practice on Monday. The Mavericks organization said that they will not comment on whether or not he will take the court until they assess how he feels pre-game.
The bottom line is that injuries have plagued this team in the preseason, so all Head Coach Jason Kidd is worried about is making it out of this game healthy. It has been extremely hard for the Mavericks to see how everyone will play with one another given the fact that they have barely all been healthy enough to practice together. Between Luka, Kyrie, Hardy, and Josh Green all suffering preseason injuries, the lineups, and comradery have not yet been established.
Some other notable news is that Jones Jr. Green is looking like he is in the running to be a starter at small forward, but this could change. Green is still on his rookie contract and has until next Monday to sign extensions. His $4.7 million deal only ran through the 2022–2023 season, meaning that he has a lot of decision-making to do.
On Monday, if an agreement is not met, Green will become a restricted free agent for the upcoming offseason. If the Mavericks issue a qualifying offer, Green’s greatest offer from another team would need to match for the Mavericks to be allowed to keep him.
The loss of Green could be huge for this Mavericks squad, but only time will tell what happens. But for now, the keyword is getting healthy and making it out of tomorrow’s pre-season game without any more injuries. With that being said, tomorrow’s game will be a good chance for some of the younger players, like Dereck Lively, to show what they can bring to the table this season.
