ESPN Provides an Anthony Davis Trade Update

Will the Dallas Mavericks trade Anthony Davis? It seemed like almost a certainty a few weeks ago, but then Davis went down with a hand injury, which complicated things. 

Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst gave an update on whether Davis will be traded this season. 

“Although the biggest allure in trading for Davis, per multiple rival executives, is the potential to have him for the playoffs, several other sources tell ESPN they believe the best course of action for Dallas would be to wait until the summer. "This should allow them to sit back and be patient and see what happens," one Eastern Conference executive said. Part of the reason a Davis trade has generated so much discussion is the fact the Mavericks are currently slated to be nearly a $400 million team in combined payroll and luxury taxes in the 2026-27 season—a figure no one around the league expects them to pay.”

There have also been reports that Davis is no longer aggressively telling the Mavericks to trade him. If Davis isn’t begging to go, and the Mavericks aren’t able to find the type of return they want for him, there’s really no point in rushing a deal. 

The looming luxury tax bill, however, will pose an issue. If the Mavericks don’t trade Davis before the deadline, they might have to trade some of their other players to help them duck the tax next year.

Klay Thompson, P.J. Washington, and Naji Marshall are all players who could be on the move to help the Mavericks get younger and save money.

The Mavericks are getting ready for a transition to the Cooper Flagg era, and a bunch of moves are on the horizon.