Anthony Davis injury update: Insider breaks massive news on 5x All-NBA star’s return

Over the past few weeks, much talk has been surrounding Anthony Davis. Once Kyrie Irving suffered a season-ending ACL tear, the expectation was that Dallas would likely shut Davis down for the rest of the year and play things safe.

However, according to NBA insider Marc Stein, Davis could reportedly return to the court during Dallas' upcoming four-game road trip. The team is scheduled to visit the Brooklyn Nets on Monday, the New York Knicks on Tuesday, the Orlando Magic on Thursday, and the Chicago Bulls on March 29.

According to Stein, the 10-time All-Star could return during one of the aforementioned road games.

Following the four-game stretch, the Mavericks will have just seven games left in the regular season. Currently, the team is tied at 10th in the Western Conference with the Phoenix Suns, with both teams poised to jockey for position in hopes of securing a spot in the play-in tournament.

Dallas Mavericks staff reportedly tries to talk Anthony Davis out of returning this season

While the Dallas Mavericks may get some much-needed help with the return of Anthony Davis, it sounds like Dallas' front office is trying to talk AD out of returning this year.'

According to ESPN's Tim MacMahon, who spoke on Wednesday's "NBA Today," the team wants to shut Davis down for the year given that without Kyrie Irving, their hopes of a deep playoff run are slim.

From what he's hearing, Anthony Davis isn't interested in listening.

"He is steadfast in his determination to return this season, maybe as soon as next week, despite the fact there are people within the Mavericks organization who tried to talk him out of it, saying the risk-reward is not there," MacMahon said. "There are people who'd rather shut him down this season; AD's not trying to hear all that."

If the team were to capture the 10th seed, they would likely wind up colliding with the Sacramento Kings in the first round of the play-in tournament. The winner will advance to play the loser of the LA Clippers-Minnesota Timberwolves matchup.

Of course, given how competitive the Western Conference is this season, the play-in seeding could be shaken up between now and the postseason.