What’s Next for Anthony Davis After Nico Harrison’s Firing? Rich Paul Confirms Mavs Star’s Position

That still doesn’t guarantee an Anthony Davis trade in the future. Davis has played only 14 games for the Mavericks, averaging 20.3 points and 10.3 rebounds. The stats don’t play much part in this potential trade. His fitness is under the scanner as he started the season about 20 pounds overweight. Davis is nursing a left calf strain and was already managing bilateral Achilles tendinopathy. Currently, he is day-to-day, but the conversations around his injury aren’t positive yet. 

With these injury issues, Davis turns 33 years old in March. He’s under contract for $58.4 million next season with a $62.7 million player option for 2027-28.  ESPN insider Shams Charania guessed that Davis could return 4 first-round picks in a potential trade. Clutch Points on November 8 reported that the “Mavericks would prefer to build around Davis, Kyrie Irving, and Cooper Flagg.” 

However, they mentioned that chances for a Davis trade are ‘pretty slim’ as of that date. It could be because Irving is still recovering from his ACL tear. However, once the offseason arrives, we could be having a different conversation regarding Irving and Davis. The ownership could look at the roster building once they figure out who to replace Harrison with.

Can Mark Cuban Come Back to the Mavericks? 

“Nothing’s really changed except my bank account,” Cuban said after selling his controlling stake in 2023, for “ in excess of $4 billion.” However, Nico Harrison took over the basketball operations as a GM, and the governor became Dumont. While Cuban had his influence, Harrison and Dumont were the formal line, and it has slipped away since then. 

“Yeah, I f—– up,” Cuban said in September. “When I did the deal, the presumption was that I would still be running basketball, and we tried to put it in the contract, but the NBA said the Governor is the Governor and they make all final decisions.” Now that Harrison is moving on, Cuban has an opportunity to correct that mistake. 

He knows the franchise inside out. Cuban is a fan and visionary rolled into one. He essentially has built the Mavericks from the ground up. While fans still hold a slight grudge for selling, they would welcome Cuban as a decision-maker. Cuban still owns a 27% stake in the team, giving him some leverage. However, he would still not be a direct Nico Harrison replacement. 

He is not a GM with the title or the luxury to do this full-time. However, he could still get involved more if the ownership and the new management allow him to. Cuban’s expertise could prove important in rebuilding and hiring the new GM. The question remains if he will be willing to come back after some bad blood from his sale.