Mavericks Urged To Trade Anthony Davis With Cooper Flagg On The Way

The Dallas Mavericks have the first overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. They are expected to select Duke star Cooper Flagg. 

Once Dallas drafts Flagg, the team will have the youngster on the roster next to Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson, three of the best players in NBA history. 

But if NBA writer Dan Favale of Bleacher Report were running the show, Davis would be traded this offseason. 

“It makes more sense for Dallas to trade Davis for a future-focused package teeming with picks and prospects and enter the rebuilding phase they should have initiated when shipping out Luka Doncic,” Favale wrote. 

Davis only appeared in nine regular-season games with the Mavericks because of an adductor injury. He put up 20.0 points, 10.1 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 0.6 steals and 2.2 blocks per game. 

A Chicago native, Davis is 32 years old. He will make $54.1 million next season and $58.5 million in 2026-27. 

Davis has a player option worth $62.8 million for the 2027-28 season. He has played for the New Orleans Pelicans, Los Angeles Lakers and Mavericks, compiling career averages of 24.1 points, 10.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.3 steals and 2.3 blocks.

Irving is expected to miss a lot of time next season recovering from his left ACL injury. Thompson and Davis are both older players now, so it could make sense for Dallas to get a huge haul in return for Davis and rebuild around Flagg. 

“Building around Flagg should be the Mavs’ top priority,” Favale wrote. “Plopping him into a situation where, as of now, they need him to be no worse than the co-lead ball-handler of a team the C-Suite fancies a contender runs in stark contrast to that—and likely the reality of Dallas’ position inside the Western Conference.”

Mavericks GM Nico Harrison loves Davis. He’s not going to trade him unless the star big man requests a trade. 

With that said, Davis likely isn’t going anywhere this offseason.