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What's going on with Anthony Davis? Explaining injury, trade scenarios
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- What's going on with Anthony Davis? Explaining injury, trade scenarios
It seems that each passing day brings a new report about Anthony Davis and his future with the Dallas Mavericks .
Complicating matters further is a left hand injury that is expected to sideline him for at least the next six weeks, which extends past the Feb. 5 trading deadline. It's the latest health issue Davis has faced during his tenure with the Mavericks and throughout his career, and it could give prospective teams pause before opting to ship assets to Dallas for a veteran whose best days appear to be behind him.
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So what's going on with Davis and the Mavericks?
Frankly, there's a lot to sort through.
Because of the injury and because the interests of player and team may not necessarily be aligned, it's tough to tell with certainty. But, using the latest information that has been reported, here's a read of the situation.
Scenario A: Mavericks want to trade Anthony Davis
Given his age — Davis will turn 33 in March — and given his lack of availability and massive salary, Dallas may realize it's better served to move on and flip him for some assets that might align more closely with the franchise's timeline to compete.
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ESPN reported on Tuesday, Jan. 13 that the Mavericks have engaged in renewed trade talks involving Davis with other teams. This, however, is almost certainly the standard due diligence that teams do around the trading deadline, just to get a sense of the market for their players.
Davis has played just 29 of a possible 74 games since the Mavericks acquired him in February 2025 in the deal that shipped Luka Dončić to the Lakers . And the team is clearly shifting toward No. 1 overall rookie Cooper Flagg being the face of the franchise .
On one hand, trading away Davis, who was supposed to be the centerpiece of that Dončić deal, is further admission of a mistake made . But it was former general manager Nico Harrison who orchestrated that deal, so, if the new front office doesn't view Davis as part of the future, then it would make sense to not compound that mistake and double down.
The problem for Dallas is that Davis' value is as low as it has ever been, particularly with the injury. He should make a full recovery — that's not the concern — but any potential destination clearly cannot count on him being consistently available; Davis has played an average of just 51.4 games per season over the last five (not counting 2025-26), and he has already missed 21 games this year.
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And while he continues to be effective when on the floor (20.4 points and 11.1 rebounds per game), the Mavericks may encounter a depressed market and be forced to accept compensation for Davis that amounts to pennies on the dollar.
All that said, that Davis won't require surgery is a positive for the Mavericks because that would make him even tougher to trade.
Scenario B: Anthony Davis wants the Mavericks to trade him
Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis (3) stands on the court before the start of the game against the Sacramento Kings at the Golden 1 Center on Jan 6, 2026.
The inverse of the previous scenario is that the Mavericks want to keep Davis (or are at least neutral or in a holding pattern), but he's the one who wants to go. Davis may feel that the Mavericks are not in position to contend in the near future, and he may want to latch on with a contender.
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According to ESPN , members of the Mavericks front office do not feel pressured to deal Davis and are unwilling to move Davis simply if he would want out.
If this is the case, it makes sense for Dallas to be patient with Davis' health. The Mavericks are still without star point guard Kyrie Irving (torn anterior cruciate ligament) and may not get him back at all this season.
It's important to reiterate here, though, that this is the time of the year when teams/players/agents are hyper-calculated on leaking information that suits their interests, and not every report should be viewed as indisputable fact.
Think of it this way, when you come across an anonymously sourced report: Why is this information out in the public, and who does it serve? A subsequent question to ask is: Who's doing the leaking?
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If, deep down, the Mavericks wanted to ship Davis, it would make sense for them to drum up interest by saying they don't want to trade him. But, the team could also be trying to sway the public perception if Davis does indeed want out, to posture that they will do what's best for the Mavericks.
Davis is signed through next season (with a combined cap hit of $112.6 million) and has a player option worth an additional $62.8 million in 2027-28 — a massive investment of the available cap.
The Mavericks are 15-26 and rank 12th in the West. Despite that, there are simply so many unknowns about what this team might look like at full health.
For what it's worth, Davis was rather defensive in directly responding to an erroneous ESPN report that had indicated Davis was "likely to undergo surgery" on his left hand. In a series of social media messages, Davis called the report "lies."
Rehashing a previous point, if Davis would want out, it's in his best interest to not have surgery, so the social posts could feed into that narrative.
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Scenario C: Both parties want a fresh start
If this is the case, expect Davis to be moved before the deadline.
The reality is that, aside from Flagg, every other Dallas Maverick is probably available in a trade, though it will come down to value. Put another way: If teams want to pry Davis or Klay Thompson or P.J. Washington or any other veteran away, they will need to present an offer good enough for the Mavericks to be swayed.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Anthony Davis scenarios: How injury affects trade possibilities
