Dallas Mavs Injury Report: 3 Key Players Ruled Out vs. Portland Trail Blazers

Due to injuries, the Mavs already have ruled out three of the team's key players for Friday's matchup against the Trail Blazers.

DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks enter Friday's matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers with various impact players still on the injury report. 

On Thursday, the Mavs already ruled out Josh Green (elbow sprain), Maxi Kleber (toe dislocation), and Grant Williams (knee soreness). The team will continue to keep two-way contract wing A.J. Lawson with the main club, while Greg Brown III and Dexter Dennis will remain with the Texas Legends. 

Williams was added to the injury report with knee soreness prior to the Mavs' 50-point blowout victory against the Utah Jazz. He was downgraded from questionable to out, sidelining him for the first time this season. He already remains out for the team's matchup against the Trail Blazers. 

"I would say he's [Grant] been dealing with it," said Mavs coach Jason Kidd before Wednesday's game. We'll get him some rest here and we'll see how he feels tomorrow."

The Mavs participated in an unprecedented 12-day international preseason trip that spanned multiple continents, featuring stops in Abu Dhabi and Madrid. Does the team feel that has contributed to any injuries amid a continued struggle to stay healthy?

"No, I think it's just part of the season," Kidd said before Wednesday's game. "There's always going to be injuries.  There's going to be sick days. You just have to deal with it and and push forward and [have] the next man mentality."

The Mavs have relied on rookie Olivier-Maxence Prosper more at times since Kleber became sidelined due to injury on Nov. 11. For a team that faces limitations in perimeter size, not having Williams available only furthers the need to rely on the No. 24 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.   

"Maxi has been out for four weeks," Kidd said. "It's been the next next guy up and so tonight, O-Max will have that opportunity to play with Grant out."

Dallas Mavericks forward Grant Williams during the 2023-24 NBA season / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Green reportedly expected to be sidelined for the next few weeks with the same injury he dealt with in December of last season: a right elbow sprain. While Green remains sidelined, the Mavs intend to rely on A.J. Lawson, Jaden Hardy, and Seth Curry more, depending on the matchup. 

"I hope he's not out for as long as last time," Kidd said of Green. "But if he's out, A.J. [Lawson] and [Jaden] Hardy are the next guys up, and Seth [Curry]. We have to look at those guys being ready to play."

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The Mavs face an opportunity to strengthen their standing in the Western Conference with upcoming matchups against losing teams, including the Trail Blazers and Memphis Grizzlies. Dallas will need to overcome missing key players in the process in order to sustain its fourth-place ranking. 

Check back with DallasBasketball.com for further updates on the injury status of Green, Kleber, and Williams, along with injury reports throughout the season.