The Dallas Mavericks need help at the center position right now. Anthony Davis is dealing with a left adductor injury and he could miss up to a month, however, his injury timeline is uncertain. Dereck Lively II has an ankle injury and he is not expected to return anytime soon. Dwight Powell is battling a hip issue and he currently has no injury return timeline. Daniel Gafford suffered a knee injury on Monday and he will be re-evaluated in two weeks.

Kylor Kelley is the Mavs' only available center at the moment, but his limited NBA experience makes him a questionable replacement. So why can't the Mavs simply go sign a center in free agency? Well, it is a complicated situation.

Mavericks salary cap concerns

The Mavs are approaching the first apron. They are currently $171,000 dollars below the first apron. Dallas has an open spot on the roster and they could realistically sign a player to a 10-day deal or a minimum contract in March.

The earliest date a team can sign a player to a rest-of-season contract is March 31. However, couldn't the Mavs just go over the first apron?

The answer is no, as they are hard-capped at the apron. So whether it is through free agency or the buyout market, the Mavs would have to find a way to sign a player who keeps them under the first apron.

Is there a path to accomplishing this?

How Mavs can navigate current difficult circumstance

The Mavericks probably could have waited to sign a center to a veteran minimum contract in late March. Now with all of their reliable centers injured, though, the Mavs may need to try to sign a player to a 10-day contract following the All-Star break.

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Of course, 10-day contracts' worth stems from a player's experience in the NBA. Finding the best value for a big man while staying under the first apron is going to be a challenging task.

At the very least, Kylor Kelley is already on the roster. But as mentioned, Kelley is more of a depth piece as opposed to a replacement starting center.

Injury concerns

Mavericks fans are currently frustrated because of the Luka Doncic trade. That specific trade is not the primary reason for Dallas' struggles in the 2024-25 campaign, though. The fact of the matter is that Dallas has endured one of the most injury-plagued seasons in recent memory.

In fact, even Doncic was forced to miss a significant amount of time due to injuries before he was traded. Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson and other key Mavs players have been unable to play at times this year as well due to injury trouble.

Mavs head coach Jason Kidd is trying his best to help keep his team afloat despite the difficult circumstances. There is only so much he can do with a limited roster, especially when there are no available centers with more than five games of NBA experience.

It will be interesting to see how Dallas attempts to replace their four injured big men.