UPDATE: Maxi Kleber has began on court activities. A return is on the horizon…

Maxi Kleber suffered a tear of his right hamstring during the Mavericks’ practice Tuesday and will be out indefinitely, the team announced Thursday morning.

Lakers RETURN Update on Maxi Kleber is COMING! | What Maxi Kleber Returning Would Mean for Lakers

The news represents a major blow to Dallas’ rotation and defense as the team enters the third month of this season with a record hovering around .500.

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The Mavericks are 1-5 in games the 30-year-old Kleber has missed, including a blowout loss Wednesday to the Cleveland Cavaliers, when the team listed Kleber as out with a right knee sprain.

In 22 games this season, Kleber has been one of the Mavericks’ most consistent two-way players, averaging 6.2 points while shooting 36.9% from the 3-point line. Coach Jason Kidd had often orchestrated lineups to pair Kleber as a standout frontcourt defender with offense-first center Christian Wood.

The Mavericks said Kleber and the team’s medical staff are still considering treatment options and that “updates will be given when appropriate.”

Kleber’s injury was announced the same day players who signed with new teams in the offseason are eligible to be traded.

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Thursday marks the true start of the NBA’s trade season, when speculation, projection and activity start to ramp up before the Feb. 9 deadline.

Kleber can’t be included in a trade until at least six months after the three-year, $33 million contract extension he signed in September.

But after Feb. 9, the NBA prohibits trades through the end of the season, so Kleber will remain in Dallas as he considers options and begins his hamstring rehab.

His injury further depletes the frontcourt, which could have an impact on what the Mavericks decide about two sizable expiring contracts. Dwight Powell ($11.1 million) and Wood ($14.3 million) are approaching free agency this offseason, but the Mavericks could deem their contributions too central to move with Kleber out.

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Callie Caplan covered the Dallas Mavericks and Olympic sports until summer 2023. She had previously written for The Washington Post, USA Today and The Baltimore Sun after graduating from the University of Maryland in 2017.

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