Dallas Mavericks suffer devastating injury blow just days after blockbuster Luka Doncic trade rocked NBA team

THE Dallas Mavericks have been hit with another brutal injury just days after the Luka Doncic trade.

The latest injury comes after it's been reported that All-Star big man Anthony Davis , the headliner of the return package in the Doncic trade, is expected to be out at least four weeks due to a left adductor strain he suffered in his Mavs debut.

ESPN reported on Thursday that Mavericks center Daniel Gafford will miss at least six weeks because of a Grade 3 sprain of the MCL in his right knee.

The 26-year-old suffered the injury during the Mavs loss to the Sacramento Kings .

The Mavericks announced the next day that Gafford will be re-evaluated in two weeks.

"Y'all wait for me...Be back soon," Gafford wrote in an Instagram story.

Read More on NBA Gafford has had a stellar campaign for Dallas.

He is averaging a career-high 12.5 points per game across 22.1 minutes per contest.

After Gafford's injury, the Mavs will now be without both their top three big men for weeks after the All-Star break.

Other than Davis and Gafford, the team will not have the services of Dereck Lively II, who had been the starting center.

Most read in American Football Lively has been sidelined for a month due to a stress fracture in his right ankle.

He is still in a walking boot.

Backup center Dwight Powell has not played in the last 14 games because of a strained hip.

Fortunately for Dallas, they won back-to-back games over the Golden State Warriors and the Miami Heat on Wednesday and Friday.

They started the 6-foot-7 Kessler Edwards at center.

The Mavericks sit at 30-26 and are currently the No.

8 seed in the very competitive Western Conference.

Dallas can't afford to snooze, however, as they are just three games ahead of the 11th-place Phoenix Suns .

They don't have the luxury of the five-time All-NBA First-Team Doncic to run the offense after making the unexpected blockbuster trade with the Los Angeles Lakers on February 2.

Read More on The US Sun The Mavericks will now have to rely heavily on star Kyrie Irving and the team's defense.

They will take on the disappointing 13-42 New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday night..

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