Replacing Luka Doncic was never possible. When Nico Harrison traded him away, the only thing that (sort of) consoled Mavericks’ fans was the arrival of Anthony Davis. After all, he was a superstar, who had the potential to elevate a franchise to championship-level ambitions, like he did at the Lakers upon arriving in 2019. But things have not been the same.
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Davis has hardly featured for the Mavericks. He’s suffered injuries to his adductor, retina, and more recently, to his calf, which has kept him out for multiple games, playing merely five games this season. For the struggling Dallas side with a 5-13 record, this has been a blow. Plus, his points average in the games he has played so far has been 20.8, which is around four lesser than his career average.
Marc Stein recently spoke about how Davis has played just 14 of the 50 possible regular season games so far in a Mavericks uniform. So, they can’t even ship him away easily, with most teams in the league expected to consider his presence a liability.
“If Dallas gets to the point, truly gets to the point that they want to field trade interest in Anthony Davis, they’re doing it from such a difficult position because he’s not been on the floor,” the NBA insider said on the All NBA Podcast.
“That [his injuries] makes it difficult to get anywhere near the value that Dallas would be hoping for if they’re gonna turn around and trade Anthony Davis after acquiring him as the centerpiece of the Luka Doncic trade.”
It was a colossal mistake from Harrison in hindsight. The Mavericks front office may have thought that they got a lucky chip on their shoulders when they were able to land Cooper Flagg with their #1 Draft Pick. But Flagg has not been able to carry the team, playing out of position at just 18 years old.
The Mavericks are struggling. They’re 13th in the West. Klay Thompson is a shadow of his former self, Flagg is learning the ropes, Davis hardly features, and Kyrie Irving is recovering from an ACL tear. A trade appears to be on the horizon for the future to appear less bleak.
But can Dallas get favorable players or picks in return for what they have? That’s the million dollar question.
