Anthony Davis Not Aligned With Rich Paul as Trade Talk Swirls in Dallas

Anthony Davis’ move to the Dallas Mavericks never truly worked out, and it has almost been a year since he moved to Texas. Strings of injuries have been the main reason, and since his latest ligament damage earlier this month, it has been reported that the Mavs are open to trading him. Davis, however, does not want to move.

This comes as surprising news, mainly because Davis’ agent, Rich Paul, has been talking about seeing his client in another uniform for several weeks now. Teams like the Toronto Raptors and the Atlanta Hawks were believed to have been in contact with the Mavericks according to Paul.

However, analyst Tim MacMahon recently said that Davis doesn’t agree with his agent and isn’t pushing to be traded at this time. 

“There are trade discussions, his agent Rich Paul has made it clear he thinks it’s in AD’s best interest to be traded. AD does not necessarily agree though. I have been told he has not been pushing to be moved and is comfortable here in Dallas,” MacMahon reported on ESPN.

It has since been revealed that the Raptors and the Hawks were not concretely interested in the big man. Even the Golden State Warriors, who were linked to Davis, have pulled out of the bidding, as they only want to go for an asset who would help Stephen Curry win his fifth ring.

MacMahon: “There are trade discussions, his agent Rich Paul has made it clear he thinks it’s in AD’s best interest to be traded. AD does not necessarily agree though. I have been told he has not been pushing to be moved and is comfortable here in Dallas”pic.twitter.com/YToODAdrCo

— Oh No He Didn’t (@ohnohedidnt24) January 25, 2026

So, from the sound of things, Davis’ message was delivered and received around the NBA. He likes where he is in Dallas, and he does not want to be moved at this time. Of course, he does not have a no-trade clause and could still be moved, but it sounds like his motivation would be sapped if that were to happen. Other teams would surely want to avoid that.

At the end of the day, adding Davis to a contender could make them a championship-caliber team. But if he does not want to be moved, then it is not smart for another team to acquire him. Not to mention, he is already injured and has a massive history of sustaining unusual injuries. That is to say, his health would not be guaranteed for a playoff run.

The Mavs have really backed themselves into a corner with this one. They made one of the biggest trades in NBA history last year when they offloaded Luka Doncic for Davis. Now, AD is hurt and the team is fighting just to make the play-in. It is far from the elite defensive roster the team imagined when it made the deal, and they must feel foolish for getting rid of a generational talent so easily.