Nico Harrison’s bold gamble trading Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis has not paid off. The Mavericks have had a disastrous start to the 2025-26 season. And rumors of big changes to their roster and the front office are swirling ominously. One of the players reportedly on the trade block is Davis himself.
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It’s not been an ideal start to the season for Davis, who is averaging around 20 points and 10 rebounds per game. That’s not bad in a vacuum, of course. But for AD’s standard, the numbers are falling way short. Plus, a recent calf injury has sidelined him, too.
However, the problems for the Mavericks run far deeper than Davis’ underperformance. Yet, Mavs General Manager Harrison, who was crucified by the Dallas crowd for letting go of Doncic, may make another decision related to Davis that could make him even more unpopular. Will he?
NBA insider Tim MacMahon confirmed in a recent ESPN segment that Davis won’t be going anywhere soon. “Nico would never ever do that [trade Davis],” he said. “They are — in his own definition — in year two of their three to four year window.”
McMahon hinted that Harrison should be trading Davis away in the future to get assets that would help them build around 2025’s No.1 Draft pick Cooper Flagg. “They lucked out in getting Cooper Flagg,” he stated.
“At some point, I would say pronto, the focus of the franchise has gotta be around Cooper Flagg. Let me just remind you, in successfully building a Finals team around five-time All-NBA first team before entering his prime, face of the franchise, Luka Doncic, you gave up your first round Draft picks for ’27, ’28, ’29…,” added McMahon.
The Mavericks, too, would be looking to offload an ageing Davis. Flagg is a generational player who has had a difficult start to life in Dallas, playing out of position in a team that’s plagued with injuries and out-of-form players.
Kyrie Irving is still recovering from an ACL tear he suffered last season, and Klay Thompson looks like a shadow of his old self. So, why won’t Harrison trade Davis away and get assets in return?
Well, that would be an admission of his own mistake in the first place. And McMahon gave a warning that Harrison’s decision to stick to Davis, a former NBA champ with the Los Angeles Lakers, could also lead to his mid-season firing.
Break in relations between Patrick Dumont and Harrison
Harrison seems obsessed with the idea of playing Davis as much as possible. He’s currently out with an injured calf, and Harrison wants him back as soon as possible. Mavs owner Patrick Dumont disagrees with this.
There are reports that Dumont is protecting Davis from the Mavs GM, which has led to a complete break in relations between the two. Of course, Harrison will come out the loser in this battle against the boss, and his firing is seen as a matter of “when” rather than “if”.
The Doncic trade in February kick-started a chain reaction that has put the Mavericks in deep trouble. This was a franchise that had made the NBA Finals just over a year ago. And so, it is a matter of time before harsh decisions will be made.
