It only took 5 games for Mavericks to get their first Anthony Davis scare
In the first quarter of the Dallas Mavericks' game against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night, Anthony Davis hobbled up the floor after an offensive possession and had to be subbed out of the game. Jason Kidd called a timeout, and Davis sat on the scorer's table and constantly grabbed at his left heel.
Davis had been questionable for the game against Indiana with bilateral Achilles tendinopathy, but the Mavericks decided to play him. From the looks of it, Davis likely aggravated his Achilles early in this game, and they were just dealt their first injury to Davis of the season.
— Noah Weber (@noahweber00) October 30, 2025Dallas Mavericks big man Anthony Davis was slow to get back up the court after Dallas’ last offensive possession and was grabbing for his leg. It looked like he kept grabbing the back of his left leg/heel.
He just went back to the locker room. pic.twitter.com/dSsM0y0Djo
He was clearly dealing with some discomfort before he exited the court, and Mavericks fans' worst fear with Davis happened right in front of them. The entire world knows that Davis can be one of the most unstoppable bigs in the NBA when he's fully healthy, but injuries have been one of his biggest problems for years, as he has had problems staying on the floor for a full season throughout his career.
Anthony Davis is dealing with a left leg injury at the worst possible time
The 2025-26 season started exactly one week ago for Dallas, and they could end up being without their star big man for some time if whatever he is dealing with is serious.
The Mavericks classified his injury as left lower leg soreness when he was ruled out for the remainder of the contest, and Dallas truly can't catch a break.
Playing Davis in this game despite him dealing with some sort of discomfort in his Achilles was already a bold move, and fans will be hoping that it was just a bit sore and he didn't want to push through it and risk a catastrophic injury. Achilles injuries are no joke, and Dallas has to be careful with how they handle this.
They were already in a bind down low since Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford are both dealing with their own injuries, and Davis going down forces Kidd to play Dwight Powell and potentially Moussa Cissse at the five for the time being. Dallas dealt with this exact same issue during the second half of last season, as Davis, Lively II, and Gafford were all dealing with severe injuries at the same time, and Mavericks fans will be hoping that Davis can return to the floor soon.
This season was supposed to be the year that Davis takes over and shows the world that he deserves much more respect in NBA circles, as he was entering the season fully healthy. Davis was fully recovered from the adductor injury he suffered in his first game in Dallas, and even though he had eye surgery that kept him off the court for a month over the summer, he was healthy and ready to go ahead of his 14th season in the NBA.
If serious, this injury just put the Mavericks in an even worse spot as they try to rebound from an abysmal start, and his health will be one of the biggest X-factors of the season as Dallas tries to avoid missing the NBA Playoffs for the third time in four year
Chiefs Trade Idea Sends 4th Year Underperformer To Washington
The Kansas City Chiefs may be on the lookout for some additional talent as they have come back from their dismal 0-2 start to be just one game out from AFC West leaders, the Denver Broncos.
But it is also not implausible that they could look to discard pieces of value that serve little to no functional purpose to the team moving forward. One position group where they could think to do this, and trim down what has become a very crowded room, is at running back.
Isiah Pacheco started as the lead back for the team, and has maintained that position for the duration of the season, with the sole exception of week 4’s game against the Baltimore Ravens, where he saw only 37% of offensive snaps as the team laid out Lamar Jackson’s team in a resounding victory.
Chiefs Could Look To Move Off Starting Offensive Player
But Pacheco does not feel like the same kind of angry, aggressive runner he once was earlier in his career.
Although his metrics have not decreased dramatically since 2023, and are actually up slightly on his 2024 performance, it feels like the momentum is starting to shift away from him and towards veteran back, Kareem Hunt, or even seventh round rookie, Brashard Smith.
So in this trade proposal, the Chiefs trade away Pacheco, whose contract is up at the end of the season, to the Washington Commanders.
Fans and media alike have been begging head coach, Andy Reid and co. to let Smith get more touches of the ball and see more time on offense, and in the meantime Kareem Hunt provides very similar efficiency to Pacheco in the run game – 4 yards/carry vs 4.2 yards/carry.
The team also have Elijah Mitchell; who missed the entirety of the 2024 season with a hamstring injury, but has been very productive earlier in his career, including a 963 yard rushing season in his rookie year for the San Francisco 49ers; and has yet to see the field this season on offense.
What Would The Chiefs Get In Return For Isiah Pacheco?
It is not clear exactly what Pacheco’s value is. On the one hand he is a starting running back in the NFL, who has played by no means terribly in 2025.
On the other, he is out of contract in March, and notions of an extensions have not been widely reported on.
To make the matters worse, he recently suffered an MCL injury, that should keep him out for the next couple of games as he remains “week-to-week” with the injury.
Yet, it seems like week-11, post the team’s bye is a realistic target return date for the one-time 7th round draft pick, who admittedly has vastly overplayed his draft position back in 2022.
The eventual answer is that the Chiefs will not get a ton for Pacheco. But if they feel like in this season, Hunt and Smith are the way forward, and they can recoup some draft compensation for him, then a move could certainly make sense for both them and the Commanders, who could use some support for another rookie 7th rounder, Jacory Croskey-Merritt.
Washington Commanders receive: Isiah Pacheco, 2026 seventh round pick
Kansas City Chiefs receive: 2026 fifth round pick
