It’s been a few weeks since Nico Harrison was fired as the Dallas Mavericks’ general manager, but it’s been almost a month since we’ve seen Anthony Davis take the floor for the Mavs. He’s dealt with a calf strain that has kept him out since he went down against the Indiana Pacers on October 30th, costing him the last 14 games.
Davis wouldn’t be a Maverick if not for Harrison, as the former executive thought it would be smart to trade Luka Doncic for Davis (it wasn’t). So when Davis spoke to the media on Wednesday after the practice, it was the first time we’d heard Davis’ thoughts on the firing.
“It was surprising more than anything. Nico’s my guy,” Davis said. “He played a huge part in getting me here and wanting me to fulfill his vision that he saw. It was definitely tough. Me and him had a conversation. Me and [Mavericks governor] Patrick [Dumont] had a conversation. It’s the business of basketball.”
Asked Anthony Davis about his reaction to Nico Harrison’s firing:
“It was surprising more than anything. Nico’s my guy. He played a huge part in getting me here & wanting me to fulfill his vision that he saw. It was definitely tough. Me & him had a conversation. Me & (Mavs… pic.twitter.com/E2aKNR9kma
— Mike Curtis (@MikeACurtis2) November 26, 2025
Part of the reason Harrison was finally dismissed was because he was pushing Davis to return early from injury. Calf strains are nothing to be played around with after the Achilles tears to Tyrese Haliburton and Damian Lillard last year. That’s what made the Luka Doncic trade so frustrating, as he was dealing with a calf strain before the trade, and Harrison was mad that he wasn’t returning sooner.
Doncic played it smart, waiting until he was fully healthy to make his return, but by that time, he was a Laker. Even once he was back, he didn’t quite have his legs underneath him, but he looks like a changed man this season. Meanwhile, Davis showed up in the season at least 15 pounds overweight, and he played like it, too.
Nov 8, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Injured Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis looks on from the bench during a timeout against the Washington Wizards in the second half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
READ MORE: Mavericks, Lakers could make another trade after Luka Doncic, Anthony Davis swap
Anthony Davis on Track to Play This Weekend
After having Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday without any games, the Mavericks will have back-to-back games in Los Angeles on Friday against the Lakers and Saturday against the Clippers. Anthony Davis was able to go through practice on Wednesday and is likely on track to return for one of these two games, but he won’t play in both. If it’s up to him, it’ll be on Friday night against his former team.
Davis has played against the Lakers once since the trade, but he hasn’t done it back in Los Angeles yet. He still wants to prove that he’s worth being traded for Doncic, but he’ll have to be a man possessed for that game. It likely makes more sense to play him Saturday against the struggling Clippers since that’s a winnable game, but nothing this franchise has done recently has made much sense.
READ MORE: Trade idea sends Mavericks’ $364 million star to Chicago Bulls
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