It has been a disappointing start to the season thus far for the Dallas Mavericks as they currently sit 11th in the Western Conference standings with a 12-19 record.
Of course, the Mavericks entered the season with high expectations thanks to their core of Anthony Davis, Cooper Flagg, Klay Thompson and Daniel Gafford, though they have failed to live up to them thus far.
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Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) celebrates with Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis (3)Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
Despite this, Dallas has been better over the last few weeks as they are 6-4 in their last 10 games, though they have still seen multiple key players miss games due to injuries and with the West loaded with multiple good teams, they may be heading towards missing the playoffs once again.
Because of this, the Mavericks have had multiple players in trade rumors, especially after they fired general manager Nico Harrison earlier in the season, and they may be active ahead of the trade deadline to add more assets to build around Flagg for the future.
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76ers May Show Interest in Mavericks’ Anthony Davis
One player who continues to be in trade rumors for the Mavericks is Davis and while the star forward has struggled to stay healthy this season, he may still draw interest from multiple teams ahead of the trade deadline in February.
Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis (3).Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
Of course, Davis is an elite scorer, rebounder and defender who could help multiple teams try and compete for a title this season and one team that could show interest in him is the Philadelphia 76ers.
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For the 76ers, adding Davis next to Joel Embiid could give them one of the top frontcourt duos in the NBA and could make them the team to beat in the Eastern Conference, though it would also be a risky move due to their injury history.
Mock Trade Sends Anthony Davis to 76ers, Paul George, Jared McCain to Mavericks
In a potential trade, the Mavericks could send Davis and Dante Exum to the 76ers in exchange for Paul George, Jared McCain and draft capital.
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Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis© Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
For Dallas, moving on from Davis may be a tough decision, especially since he was the key piece to the Luka Doncic trade last season, though swapping him for a young guard in McCain and solid veteran in George could set themselves up better for the future.
George would provide the Mavericks with a reliable scorer who they could also look to move later down the road to add more young talent and draft capital.
Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George (8)© Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
This season, the 35-year-old forward is averaging 16.4 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.6 steals per game while shooting 41.8% from the field and 39.7% from three.
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Of course, George has dealt with multiple injuries over the past handful of seasons, though he has been a key piece when he is healthy.
Philadelphia 76ers guard Jared McCainKyle Ross-Imagn Images
For McCain, he would provide Dallas with a young guard who has shown a ton of potential over his first two seasons in the NBA and could become a key young player for the Mavericks to build around next to Flagg.
While this trade could work out well for the Mavericks, they may also elect to keep Davis on their roster through the end of the season or look elsewhere to find a trade package that gives them more young talent and draft capital as they may not want to add George in this deal.
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Dec 25, 2025, where it first appeared in the NBA section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.