The Dallas Mavericks will reportedly explore the trade market for big man Anthony Davis prior to this season’s deadline, team sources told ESPN’s Tim MacMahon on Wednesday.
Mavericks Expected To Trade Anthony Davis
Davis, 32, has been linked to multiple teams since the Mavericks parted ways with president of basketball operations and general manager Nico Harrison last week.
Among those teams are the Miami Heat, New York Knicks, Toronto Raptors, Chicago Bulls, Sacramento Kings, and Golden State Warriors.
The general consensus is that Davis will now end up on the trade block with Harrison gone.
Mavs governor Patrick Dumont approved the controversial blockbuster deal with the Los Angeles Lakers last season to acquire the 10-time All-Star in exchange for Luka Doncic.
Harrison, however, was the fall guy for Mavs fans boycotting the team and protesting outside the American Airlines Center, as well as inside the arena during games.
Mavs Plan To Build Around Cooper Flagg
As MacMahon explains, Dumont along with co-interim general managers Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi, head coach Jason Kidd, and minority owner Mark Cuban are “plotting to pivot” to a future built around this year’s No. 1 overall pick, Cooper Flagg.
Davis played in only nine regular-season games for Dallas last season. The five-time All-NBA member was recovering from an abdominal injury at the time of the trade and strained his adductor in his Mavs debut.
He missed six weeks due to that adductor injury.
During the offseason, Davis also underwent a procedure to repair a detached retina that he suffered near the end of the 2024-25 season. He sustained his right eye injury in Dallas’ 120-118 win over the Atlanta Hawks on April 2.
His teammate, Daniel Gafford, inadvertently elbowed him in his eye. He left the game bleeding and returned with a bandage above his right eye. A cut above his eye required four stitches.
Davis is now wearing goggles for the remainder of his career.
Injuries, Contract Could Turn Trade Suitors Away
In total, Davis has appeared in just 14 of 48 possible regular-season games for the Mavs since that trade deal and is currently sidelined due to a left calf strain.
The team announced on Sunday that Davis will be reevaluated in seven to 10 days.
Since Davis has dealt with a number of injuries across his 14-year career, his three-year, $175.36 million contract also has to be a concern for any team interested in a trade.
Per Spotrac, Davis is earning $54.1 million this season and $58.5 million in 2026-27, with a $62.8 million player option for 2027-28. He’ll be extension-eligible next summer as well.
Factoring in injuries, it might be too late for Davis to boost his trade value at this stage of his career.
Even if he does return to playing at an All-Star level, there’s no guarantee that he’ll stay healthy long enough to help a team win the NBA title this season.