You know the Mavs are in really bad shape when the injury list is longer than the lineup. The final injury report of the Dallas Mavericks before they host the Minnesota Timberwolves just dropped. And it’s so serious, that it had to be divided into two parts. Maybe because the list is so crowd, fans would miss a prominent name on it till they saw a very different lineup than they wanted.

The matchup between two generational talents is not meant to be. Cooper Flagg is ruled out for tonight’s game. He sprained his left ankle during the January 14 game against the Denver Nuggets and he’s sidelined for injury management.

Flagg hurt his ankle when he was defending Peyton Watson in the Nuggets game. He stepped on a foot and awkwardly rolled his ankle. He left midgame and was ruled out for the rest of it.

Before the Mavericks and Bucks game on January 25 was postponed because of a snowstorm, Flagg was listed as questionable with the same injury. Dallas also has a back-to-back on their hands when the Hornets land tomorrow and they’re probably ensuring Flagg’s health if he is playing tomorrow.

He’s on a crowded list that features the usual suspects, Kyrie Irving, Dante Exum, and Dereck Lively who are recovering from surgeries. Klay Thompson is also ruled out with a sore left knee and Anthony Davis has a sprained finger.

Most prominently, the Mavs are relying on their backup two-way players and Ryan Nembhard and Miles Kelley are available and Moussa Cisse is ruled out.

The only relief for the Mavs would likely be Anthony Edwards’ own questionable status. Ant has been dealing with an injured right foot himself. The Wolves are also being cautious with his injury which has made Edwards miss a few games. That’s largely been responsible for their recent five-game losing streak.

But the Wolves lineup is relatively fuller than the Mavs’ who are missing their entire star core. At this time, Jason Kidd is either optimistic or in denial.

Jason Kidd hints at Cooper Flagg’s return

The last time the Timberwolves played against the Mavericks in November, most of the team, including Flagg and Thompson, played. Yet they suffered a blowout 120-96 defeat. It begged the question of whether a healthy Flagg is enough without a stronger team surrounding him.

This close to the trade deadline, we can anticipate the Mavs make a blockbuster move similar to last year’s. While AD is listed on the injury report with a finger sprain, reports suggest it’s ligament damage that would have a longer recovery. Odds are he’s traded before he recovers.

There’s also a question about Klay Thompson and maybe his injury could put him high on the trading block. But Jason Kidd doesn’t want to deal with the implications behind injuries close to the deadline. He’s confident he’d have Flagg and Thompson back as early as tomorrow.

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“We play again tomorrow, so hopefully they’re back tomorrow,” the head coach told reporters before the game..

It’s worth noting that Flagg hurt that ankle in two straight games. And the Timberwolves are known to make their opponents grind. So this injury management might be Dallas’ way of protecting a longterm setback with Cooper Flagg.

At only 19, Flagg is averaging 18.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.3 steals per game, shooting 47.3% from the fieldin his rookie season. Without him, Dallas’ rotation flexibility is limited. But ensuring his health is a risk the team is willing to take.