Shaquille O'Neal makes feelings clear to Mavericks and Nico Harrison about Anthony Davis' injury return

Following Dallas Mavericks star point guard Kyrie Irving's season-ending torn ACL, his co-star Anthony Davis' return could reportedly be delayed until next season. NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal is among those supportive of Dallas throwing in the towel on its injury-plagued campaign by shutting Davis down.

Davis has appeared in just one game with the Mavericks since being acquired from the LA Lakers in a Feb. 2 blockbuster trade. The 10-time All-Star suffered a left adductor strain in his debut, sidelining him for nearly a month.

Irving was forced to carry a heavier workload in Davis' absence to help Dallas (32-30) keep its postseason hopes alive. However, the 2016 NBA champion's burden may have been too heavy.

On Tuesday, ESPN's Shams Charania reported that Irving sustained a torn ACL in his left knee during Monday's 122-98 home loss to the Sacramento Kings.

Charania followed that up by reporting on "The Pat McAfee Show" that Irving's injury could cause Davis and his representation to reconsider his return timeline.

"I think him (and) his representatives are gonna huddle up. I think they're gonna have some very hard conversations," Charania said (timestamp: 1:37). "It's not out of the realm of possibility that one game was the last time we've seen Anthony Davis this season."

During Tuesday night's TNT broadcast, O'Neal made the case for Davis and Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison to shift their focus to next season. The Hall of Famer likened Dallas' situation to the Philadelphia 76ers' (21-40), who shut down superstar center Joel Embiid (knee) on Friday.

"I think the Dallas organization needs to go the Joel Embiid route. Shut AD down also (and) get ready for next year," O'Neal said.

"... They have no shot of winning a championship without Kyrie and a healthy AD. So, if I were Nico and those guys, I would shut AD down."

The Mavericks sit 10th in the Western Conference, clinging to the conference's final play-in spot. If Davis is shut down, they could face an injury-induced NBA draft lottery appearance for the second time in three years.

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Candace Parker pushes back against Shaquille O'Neal's Anthony Davis take, questions Mavericks' 2025-26 season outlook

While Shaquille O'Neal says Dallas should concentrate on winning an NBA title next season, his TNT co-host Candace Parker is seemingly less optimistic.

After O'Neal advocated for shutting Anthony Davis down, Parker noted that Kyrie Irving's ACL injury could also derail his 2025-26 campaign.

"Now what's in question is next year because nowadays, an ACL (tear recovery timeline) is a year," Parker said.

Thus, the Mavericks will likely have to make some tough roster decisions during Irving's rehab and potentially reinforce their backcourt over the offseason.

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