Kevin Durant: Mavs Should Be 'Fun' When Anthony Davis, Kyrie Healthy After Luka Trade

While the short-term future may look bleak for the Dallas Mavericks, Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant sees the potential for the roster.

Durant was asked about the Mavericks' situation following the Suns' 125-116 victory over Dallas on Sunday and said that the roster has the potential to be a "great team."

“I think it’d be a great team,” Durant said, per Rashad Miller of The Hoops Journal. “I mean, they got size, they got athleticism, defense, and you got a guy like Kyrie leading you and a city like Dallas that got your support. Should be fun.”

He continued by saying that the emotions Mavericks fans are feeling after the Luke Dončić trade are valid but that the roster they have will be really solid when all the players are healthy.

“Those emotions that they had are real, and they should address those too,” Durant said, per Miller. “But once you see this team, see [Anthony Davis] out there healthy with Kai, healthy with Klay, Gafford and Lively, you just kind of saw a small glimpse of it when AD’s first half of that first game — what they can be.”

That time is not going to come in 2024-25. Irving suffered a torn ACL last week and will be out for the rest of 2024-25 and likely a significant portion of 2025-26. Davis, who was the main return in the Donćić trade, was injured in his first game with Dallas and has not played since.

This has led to the Mavericks slipping to a 33-32 record and the team is on the cusp of falling out of the play-in tournament. This comes after a run to the NBA Finals in 2023-24 and the splashy free-agent signing of Klay Thompson last Summer.

While the current outlook is bleak, Davis, Irving and Thompson could form a terrifying trio for opponents and help Dallas compete in a strong Western Conference. Unfortunately for Dallas fans, they will just have to wait a little longer.