Will Anthony Davis Be Traded by Mavs? NBA Insider Feels Team Will Discuss Deal

Having fired Nico Harrison as their general manager, the next question for the Dallas Mavericks is what they want to do with the version of their roster that he built.

On the latest episode of The Hoop Collective podcast (starts at 15:20 mark), ESPN's Tim MacMahon explained that his firm belief is Mavs governor Patrick Dumont will "at least" hold discussions about trading Anthony Davis.

NBA insider Marc Stein reported one Western Conference source believes Davis "will need weeks of sustaing good play without injury interruption" for teams to make "representative offers." Stein also noted the Mavericks are expected to work with Davis' camp about whether the team will make an in-season trade.

The vision for the Mavericks that Harrison had when he acquired Davis as part of the trade that sent Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers was as a defense-first team, with Davis being a focal point given his resume as an elite defensive player.

Since Harrison is no longer running the front office, it doesn't make sense for Dallas to keep following the blueprint he tried putting together. It's also safe to say it wasn't working since the Mavs are 16-28 in 44 games since the Dončić trade, including a 3-8 start this season.

Everything in Dallas right now has to be geared toward developing Cooper Flagg and being in position to put pieces around him that match his timeline.

Davis, while still capable of being a dominant player, because he's 32 years old with an extensive injury history. He has only played 14 games with the Mavs since being traded by the Lakers, averaging 20.1 points, 10.1 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per contest.

Those injury woes combined with his contract could make it hard for the Mavericks to get as much value for Davis as they might like. He is making $54.1 million this season, $58.5 million in 2026-27 and has a $62.8 million player option for 2027-28.

One executive for a Western Conference team told MacMahon that the Mavs should simply "take what (they) can get" for Davis because of his age, money and injuries.

Another problem for Dallas is future draft capital from other deals that Harrison made. The Mavericks don't control their first-round draft pick for four years after 2026.

Davis is one of the few high-profile trade assets they have to move, but there may not be a lot of teams in the apron era eager to add his contract plus give up a high pick or two to facilitate a deal.

It certainly wouldn't be a surprise to see Davis get dealt, especially if the Mavericks continue to stay near the bottom of the Western Conference standings when the trade deadline approaches on Feb. 5.