The Mavericks Are Already Trying to Trade Anthony Davis

The Mavericks Are Already Trying to Trade Anthony Davis

How good are they with Kyrie and AD healthy? If you don’t think you’re good enough to get to the Western Conference Finals now, should you consider seeing what the trademark is for those two guys and reformatting all around Cooper Flag? Koozma plus Miles Turner plus a first round pick for Anthony Davis. Giannis and AD. Okay, I mean, I could I could get with that. Less than 24 hours after firing Nico Harrison and the Dallas Mavericks are reportedly preparing to blow the entire thing up. And I’m not just talking about making small tweaks or trading a role player or two. I’m talking about a full nuclear rebuild. Trading Anthony Davis, trading Klay Thompson, trading Kyrie Irving when he gets back from his torn ACL. Poting out completely for the 2026 NBA draft and build around Cooper Flag the right way this time. N months ago, Anthony Davis was supposed to be the centerpiece that justified trading Luca Donuch. He was supposed to be the defensive anchor that would transform the Mavericks into championship contenders despite them already being championship contenders. An NBA executive told ESPN’s Tim McMahon that they’re not sure what they can get for Anthony Davis in a trade, which I think pretty much solidifies Rob Pelinka’s job stability for the rest of his life. If the man single-handedly pulled off the greatest heist in NBA history, trading a player with zero trade value 9 months later and a draft pick and a draft pick swap for a top five once in a generation type star is probably the biggest heist in NBA history. I mean, that’s just a brutal fall in value. And we’re about to break down exactly why Davis went from being worth Luca Donuch to potentially not even being worth two first round draft picks. Because between the injuries, the weight gain, the bloated contract, and the fact that he’s 32 years old, Anthony Davis might be one of the most untradable stars in the NBA right now. And the Mavericks are about to find out the hard way. Now, real quick before we get to the video, I announced a jersey giveaway. And I wanted to announce the first giveaway winner. Shout out to Elliot Zer Valentine 1936. Just comment down below with what your email is or your Instagram and I’ll slide into your DMs to try to get your jersey size and everything. I’m still giving away a jersey each and every week to a subscriber that turns on our notifications on this channel. And the way I’m able to tell is if you’re commenting on my videos within the first two minutes of them being posted. And now that we got all that out of the way, cue the intro. [Music] [Music] Mic check 1212. What’s going on everybody? According to Brett Seagull of Clutch Points, even before Nico Harrison got fired, the Dallas Maverick’s front office was exploring what return exists for Klay Thompson before the trade deadline. That report came out last week. Now Harrison’s gone, and suddenly those whispers about trading Thompson have turned into full-blown conversations about trading everyone. Mark Stein reported that while Davis’s agent, Rich Paul, has established a strong relationship with owner Patrick Dumont, that doesn’t mean Davis is safe. If you’re three and eight, if you have the worst offense in NBA history, if your franchise player is dominating for the Lakers, while your new centerpiece can’t stay healthy, what’s the point of even trying to compete this year? The Western Conference is loaded. You have the OKC Thunder, who’ve only lost one game so far. You have the San Antonio Spurs finally emerging as a superpower behind their 7 foot8 superstar Victor Webbyama. You have the Denver Nuggets who have assembled the greatest team around Nicole Joic since his entire career with the Denver Nuggets. The Los Angeles Lakers are exceeding expectations. And then you have the Houston Rockets who are a number two seed but traded for Kevin Durant and they’re currently 6 and three. You have the Minnesota Timberwolves who are 7-4. I mean, I guess theoretically if they overachieve, they could be a 7 to 10 seed, but I don’t think that’s very likely. The smarter play is obvious. Trade Davis while he still has some value left. Trade Klay Thompson while someone might actually want him. Keep Kyrie Irving around until he’s healthy enough to move, then flip him, too. Tank the rest of this season and all of next season if necessary. Accumulate draft picks and build around Cooper Flag properly instead of wasting his rookie years on a team with no future. Because here’s what a lot of people don’t realize. The 2026 draft class is absolutely loaded. And so far, there’s not a clear-cut number one, but there’s so much high-end all-star level talent in this class. You have Darren Patterson, who Kansas coach Bill Self says is the best prospect he’s recruited in his entire tenure there. You have AJ Debons, who is the consensus number one prospect. You have Cam Boozer, who’s Carlos Boozer’s son, who dominated high school basketball. This isn’t just a good draft class. This is potentially a generational draft class. So, if you’re the Mavericks right now, why waste time trying to squeeze into the playin tournament with an aging, injurypprone core? Why not just admit this thing was a disaster from the start and rebuild the right way? Now, we get to the heart of this whole thing. What is Anthony Davis actually worth in a trade right now? Because this is where things get really uncomfortable for Dallas. Let’s start with what we know. Anthony Davis has missed six consecutive games with a left calf strain. He’s played only five games this entire season. And since joining the Mavericks back in February, he’s played in just 14 of a possible 44 games. That’s less than one out of every three games. You can’t build around a guy who’s never on the court. But it gets worse. Anthony Davis showed up to training camp out of shape after having eye surgery in the off season to repair a detached retina. He gained 15 lbs going from 253 lbs to 268 lbs. And yes, there is a more exaggerated photo of how big Anthony Davis got. He’s not this big. He’s actually this big. And while Anthony Davis explained that he always comes into camp heavy and loses weight quickly, here’s the problem. Photos from practice show Davis looking noticeably bigger. And we’re now in November and he’s still dealing with soft tissue injuries. Think about the irony here for a second because the Mavericks traded Luca Donuch primarily because of conditioning concerns. Harrison cited Luca’s lack of fitness as justification for the trade. And now their new centerpiece shows up to camp having gained 15 lbs and immediately gets hurt. Meanwhile, Luca’s in the best shape of his life, playing defensive player of the year level defense and averaging 41 points per game for the Lakers. I mean, at this point, I think we all know what the problem is. Like there needs to be like a strict Texas barbecue ban for Dallas Mavericks players. Like one time you could say it’s a coincidence, but two times is a pattern here. The weight gain likely contributed to his current calf strain. And calf strains are nothing to mess around with. We’ve seen time and time again how calf injuries can lead to Achilles tears, especially for guys in their 30s who are carrying extra weight. Davis was already dealing with bilateral Achilles tendinopathy before the calf strain. That’s a ticking time bomb. But aside from Anthony Davis’s availability, there’s another huge problem, and that’s Anthony Davis’s contract. Because this is what’s going to make trading him nearly impossible. Davis has 3 years and $175 million remaining on his deal. He’s making $54.1 million this season, $58.5 million next season, and has a $62.8 million player option for the 2027 to 28 season when he’ll be 34 years old. Do you really think he’s going to opt out of that contract? That’s probably going to be his biggest payday of his career. Here’s another fun fact that makes Mavericks fans want to throw their TVs out the window. The Lakers just signed Luca Donuch to a three-year $165 million extension. That’s less money than Anthony Davis will make over the same time period. The Mavericks are paying more for an injury-prone 32year-old than the Lakers are paying for a 26-year-old MVP candidate. So, who’s going to take on Anthony Davis’s contract? Who’s going to give up assets for a 32-year-old big man making $60 million a year who’s missed 30 of his last 44 games? The answer is nobody. At least not with Dallas attaching picks to sweeten the deal. Which means the Mavericks might have to give up assets just to get off of Davis’s contract. That’s how far his value has fallen. That NBA executive who told Tim McMahon, “I’m not sure what they can get for Davis,” wasn’t exaggerating. The executive continued that you can’t go two timelines anymore. You say, “We’re going to take what we can get for Davis. At this point, I’m not sure what they can get.” That’s a brutal assessment. This is a guy who was an MVP candidate just 2 years ago. A guy who won a championship in 2020 that totally counts, and we’re not going to get into that, but this is a guy who made an allNBA first team and all defensive first team. And now executives around the league are saying that they don’t know what he’s worth in a trade. So, let’s get real for a minute. If the Mavericks actually tried to trade Anthony Davis, what are they looking at in terms of a return? Well, Sports Illustrated recently published four potential trade scenarios for Davis. And if you look at what they came up with, it’s not exactly great. One proposal had the Bulls sending Nola Vousvich, Kobe White, Jaylen Smith, and a 2026 first round pick for Davis. That’s it. a declining center, a decent young guard, a bench player, and one pick for a guy who the Mavericks gave up Luca Donic to acquire. Another had the Heat sending Tyler Hero, Caleb Martin, and a 2031 first round pick. But personally, I don’t see that happening because the Heat have been very stingy with parting ways with Tyler Herro. And this would be the dream scenario for the Mavericks. But again, it’s still one real asset and one pick 5 years into the future. The most realistic might be with the Raptors. Toronto could send Emanuel quickly and RJ Barrett for Davis straight up. That actually makes some sense for both sides. The Raptors get a starter pair with Scotty Barnes and can try to make the playoffs. The Mavericks get two younger players who fit Cooper Flag’s timeline better. Here’s the problem with all of these trades. None of them come even close to the ballpark of what Davis was supposed to be worth. The Mavericks traded a 25-year-old generational superstar for him. And now the best they can hope is for two borderline all-star level guys or a collection of role players and a pick. There are some teams that might have interest. The Lakers, ironically enough, could use Davis’s defense and rim protection. They don’t have the assets to make a deal work without giving up Austin Reeves. And honestly, that’s not happening. The Bulls could use him if they’re trying to compete, but they’d have to gut their roster. The Heat are always looking for stars, but they’re capped out. And Pat Riley isn’t giving up major assets for an injuryp-prone big man. The reality is that Anthony Davis’s trade value has cratered so badly that the Mavericks might need to accept pennies on the dollar just to clear the cap space. It’s like investing money into hawk to a coin and trying to get your money back. It’s too late. The rug has already been pulled and you were foolish enough to invest in it. While we’re talking about the trades that the Mavericks need to make, let’s talk about Klay Thompson because Dallas was already exploring trading him before they fired Nico Harrison. Thompson has been a disaster this season. He’s averaging just 8.5 points per game and shooting an embarrassing 29.2% from three-point range. This is a guy who’s supposed to be one of the greatest shooters in NBA history, and he’s shooting worse than most centers. The reality is his game has fallen off of a cliff. Thompson is 35 years old. He’s coming off of two major injuries, a torn ACL and a torn Achilles. Without Luca Donuch creating shots for him, Thompson’s production has cratered. can’t create his own shot anymore and he still has two more years left on that three-year $50 million contract that he signed in the summer of 2024. The good news is that teams like the Lakers might have interest because of his championship pedigree and the chance to reunite him with Luca, but Thompson’s value is rock bottom. The Mavericks would be lucky to get back a decent role player and maybe a second round pick. That’s how far he’s fallen. But here’s why Dallas needs to move him anyway. Every game that Thompson plays for the Mavericks is a game where they’re not developing younger players or figuring out what they actually have. If you’re going to rebuild, you can’t have it. You have to commit. And that means moving Thompson, even if you don’t get fair value back. Now, let’s talk about Kyrie Irving because he’s the one guy on this roster who might actually have real trade value. But there’s a major problem. He’s out with a torn ACL and won’t be back until at least December or January. And even that timeline is fluid. Shams Shirana reported back in April that there was optimism that Irving would return by January. But Irving himself has been adamant that there’s no firm timetable. He said on Twitch that there’s no timetable of when I’m coming back. There’s no timetable of when I’m coming back, so please don’t ask me when I’m coming back. Please don’t badger me with all the questions like I’m going to be ready when I’m ready and I’m taking the necessary steps to put my best foot forward. Jason Kid had to walk back comments about hoping Kyrie would return by the end of 2025, clarifying that was more hopeful thinking than based on any actual medical timeline. The reality is that Irving might not be fully healthy until February or March. And when you’re talking about a 33-year-old recovering from a torn ACL, that’s a serious concern. But here’s why the Mavericks should still consider trading in. Irving is under contract through 2026 to 27 with a player option for that final year. He’s making $43 million this year and will want a new extension after that. For a rebuilding team, does it make sense to give a 33-year-old point guard with a history of injuries a massive extension? Or do you trade him when he has value and get younger pieces or draft picks that fit your timeline? The smart move is to wait until Irving is healthy. Let him prove he’s back to form for a month or two and then move him at the deadline. There will be contenders desperate for a guard of his caliber. Maybe the Heat, maybe the Clippers, maybe a surprise team that falls out of contention and needs a reset. But Irving on a good day is worth way more than Davis or Thompson right now. And the Mavericks need to capitalize on that. So, if the Mavericks are going to trade everyone in tank, what are they actually tanking for? Because this is where things get interesting. The 2026 NBA draft class is being called one of the best in recent history. And I know I touched upon it in the beginning of the video, but I really wanted to give you guys a bit of a preview of how incredible this draft class can be. First, there’s Darren Peterson, a 6’5 guard with elite athleticism, an outstanding feel for the game, and he can score from all three levels. He’s dangerous in lategame situations and can make advanced reads and prolevel passes. NBA team’s coveted guards who can operate as both primary scorers and initiators, and that’s exactly what Peterson projects to be. Then you have AJ Debonsa, the BYU freshman who is the consensus top prospect. Debonsa is a big wing with a deep offensive bag. He can shoot over defenders, create off the dribble, finish above the rim, and has shown real playmaking potential. His combination of size, athleticism, and scoring ability evokes comparisons to Paul George and Jason Tatum. Donsa could rise to the top of the draft board. And then there’s Cam Boozer, Carlos Boozer’s son. Boozer is a physical old school forward who plays with toughness and competitiveness. He dominated at every level in high school, leaving as arguably the winningest player of the modern era. He’s a powerful and efficient fourman who’s strong on the boards, aggressive finishing at the rim, capable of pushing the break, shooting from deep, and making smart passes. He’s the type of player who just wins. When you have three or four guys who could legitimately be franchise players, that’s when you should consider tanking. For the Mavericks, landing a top three pick in 2026 would give Cooper Flag a running mate who’s on his timeline. Imagine Flag and Peterson or Donsa growing together for the next decade. That’s a foundation you can actually build around. That’s worth more than trying to squeeze into the playin tournament with an aging injury-prone core. Let’s talk about Cooper Flag for a second because he’s the only reason any of this matters. Flag was supposed to be the consolation prize for trading away Luca Donuch, a generational talent who could grow into a franchise player. and he is incredibly talented, but he’s also 18 years old and being asked to carry a dysfunctional team with no point guard and no offensive system. In yesterday’s video, we talked about how Flag has been misused. How Jason Kid tried to make him the primary ball handler when that’s not his game. How the lack of spacing and shot creation around him has made it nearly impossible for him to succeed. But now that Harrison’s gone, there’s a chance to reset this entire thing. If the Mavericks trade Davis, Thompson, and eventually Kyrie, they accomplish a few things. First, they clear up massive cap space for when Flag is ready to compete. Second, they accumulate draft picks and young talent to build around him. Third, they can bottom out for 2026 and potentially get him a co-star who’s actually in his peer group rather than pairing him with aging veterans. Think about what the Thunder did. They traded away everyone, accumulated a ridiculous amount of draft picks, and now they’re one of the best teams in the league with a young core that’s all hitting their prime at the same time. That’s the model. not trying to win now with pieces that don’t fit and praying for health. The Mavericks have a chance to do this right. They have a generational talent in Cooper Flag. They have the opportunity to bottom out for another elite prospect in 2026. They have cap space coming if they move their expensive veterans. All the pieces are there for a proper rebuild. The question is whether they have the guts to actually commit to it. The best case scenario for keeping this core together is maybe sneaking into the playin tournament and getting bounced in the first round. Maybe they finished 10th or 11th in the West and missed the playoffs entirely. Either way, they’re not contending. They’re not even competitive. They’re just wasting another year of Cooper Flags development while their veteran pieces lose more value. The scary part is every day they wait to make trades, Davis’s value drops. Every game he misses with injuries, every loss that piles up. Every day he gets closer to being 33 years old with 3 years and $180 million left on his deal. His value is never going to be higher than it is now. If they wait until the trade deadline, it’ll be even worse. If they wait until the summer, it might be unmovable. The same applies to Thompson. His value is already in the toilet, but it can still go lower. If he continues shooting 29% from three for another 3 months, nobody will want him even as a salary dump. And with Kyrie, the longer he’s out, more uncertainty there is about whether he’ll ever be the same player he was. The risk of doing nothing is that the Mavericks end up stuck in mediocrity. Too good to get a high draft pick, not good enough to compete. That’s basketball purgatory. That’s how you waste Cooper Flags prime and end up right back where you started. Nine months ago, Nico Harrison traded Luca Donuch for Anthony Davis and told everyone it was about defense winning championships. 9 months ago, the Mavericks were talking about building a contender around Davis and Kyrie Irving. 9 months ago, this was supposed to be the beginning of a new era in Dallas. Now, Nico Harrison’s gone. The Mavs are 3 and8 and are spiraling. Davis has played 14 of 44 games and is worth a fraction of what they gave up for him. Clay Thompson is washed. Kyrie Irving is out indefinitely. And Cooper Flag is being asked to carry a dysfunctional roster at age 18. This is the definition of a failed experiment. And the only way out is to admit it was a failure and start over. The question isn’t whether the Mavericks should blow it up. It’s whether they have the courage to actually do it. Trading Davis means admitting that the Luca Donic trade was a disaster. Trading Kyrie Irving means giving up on competing in the short term. Tanking for 2026 means years of losing basketball. But it’s the right move. It’s the only move that makes sense because right now the Mavericks are stuck between two timelines. They’re not young enough to be rebuilding properly, but they’re not good enough to be competing. That’s the worst place to be in the NBA. One path leads to years of mediocrity, wasted draft picks, and Cooper Flag demanding a trade in the future. The other path leads to a proper rebuild, another elite prospect, and a championship window down the road. Let’s see if they make the right choice. Let me know in the comments section down below. What do you guys think about all this? Do you think the Mavericks should trade Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, and Klay Thompson? I’d like to hear what you have to say. Aside from that, I’m your boy Mike, and I’m dropping our mic. Until our next upload. [Music]

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