Are Mavericks ending their season due to brutal injury crisis? Closer look Dallas' rumored struggles

Things are going from bad to worse for the Dallas Mavericks. In the wake of the team losing several key players to injuries, there's a chance that Dallas may be forced to forfeit games.

Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis, Dereck Lively, and Daniel Gafford, in addition to a number of other players, are out due to injuries.

According to ESPN's Bobby Marks, injuries aren't the only issue Dallas are up against. Due to the acquisitions of Klay Thompson and Naji Marshall, the Mavericks are hard-capped, meaning they can only use the $51,000 available to fill out their roster.

Essentially, this leaves the Mavericks without an avenue to bring in free agents until Apr. 10, at which time the amount to sign a player to a veteran minimum contract for the rest of the season would be less than $51,000.

At the same time, Dallas only have three two-way players playing for the Texas Legends that they can bring over to the Mavericks. Of those three players, Kai Jones and Brandon Williams are dealing with injuries of their own.

Ahead of Sunday's game against the Philadelphia 76ers, the team has Jones listed as questionable with a quad strain, and Williams as probable with hamstring tightness.

If the Mavericks fall under the eight-player minimum before Jones and Williams return, they could be forced to forfeit games.

Of course, as Marks pointed out, Dallas could list players as active to meet the minimum requirements without actually playing them.

Looking at the latest updates surrounding Anthony Davis, Daniel Gafford, and Dereck Lively II as Mavericks look to avoid forfeits

As previously mentioned, Dallas could get some relief if some combination of Jaden Hardy, Kai Jones, Caleb Martin, and Brandon Williams are able to return to action sooner rather than later.

According to the latest update from coach Jason Kidd, which was relayed by Dallas Morning News reporter Brad Townsend, Davis is heading in the right direction. However, the team doesn't have a timeline for his return just yet.

While Dallas News reported last week that Gafford and Dereck Lively II are both progressing well, no timeline has been provided for their return.

Gafford has been out since early February with an MCL sprain, while Lively has been out since mid-January with a stress fracture in his right ankle.