Mavericks’ Anthony Davis trade plan should be painfully obvious

The Dallas Mavericks fell to 12-22 overall for the 2025-26 season after losing 125-122 to the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night. Dallas is sitting in 12th place in the Western Conference. While they are only a couple of games back of a play-in spot, the chances of this Mavs squad seriously competing for a championship anytime soon are extremely slim. With Anthony Davis once again battling an injury, it has become painfully obvious that a fresh start is necessary.

Nico Harrison’s Anthony Davis-Luka Doncic trade is a disaster. That’s just the fact. Now, Harrison is no longer associated with the Mavs and it is clear that the Davis fit just isn’t working. Cooper Flagg is the star of the future, and there’s no reason to attempt to keep the championship window open right now with a guy in AD who cannot stay healthy.

But, this is the Dallas Mavericks we are talking about, so nothing is as simple and straight-forward as it should be. According to a recent report from NBA insider Marc Stein, Mavs owner Patrick Dumont would like to see the trio of Flagg, Davis and Kyrie Irving play together.

In theory, it sounds great. However, in reality, it’s impossible at this point to expect consistent playing time for the three stars together on the floor. Irving is currently recovering from ACL surgery, while Davis continues to deal with injury after injury. Flagg has been able to stay on the floor, but relying on two veterans in their mid-30’s with injury history alongside him should not be the goal.

Keeping Kyrie could make sense, as he’s a veteran guard who could help Flagg in his growth over the next couple of years. Trading Davis would allow the Mavericks to begin a rebuild while keeping Irving on the roster as a leader, as well as a star while on the floor.

Will the Mavericks end up trading Anthony Davis? All signs point to the fact that they should — but it is always difficult to know exactly what the Mavs are thinking.