Nico Harrison’s bold gamble of trading Luka Doncic away to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis has not paid off yet. The Mavericks have had a disastrous start to the 25/26 season, with rumors of big changes to their roster and front office swirling around the mill. A player reportedly on the trade block is none other than Davis himself.
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It’s not been an ideal start to the season for Davis. He’s averaging around 20 points and 10 rebounds per game, which isn’t bad in a vacuum but for AD’s standard? Not the best. Plus, a calf injury has recently sidelined him.
But the problems for the Mavericks run far deeper than just Davis underperforming. And General Manager Harrison, who was crucified by the Dallas crowd for letting go of a future GOAT like Doncic, may make another decision related to Davis that could make him even more unpopular.
NBA insider Tim MacMahon confirmed just that in a recent ESPN segment, stating that Davis won’t be going anywhere soon. “Nico would never ever do that,” 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 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…”
The Mavericks, too, would be looking to offload an ageing Davis and focus on securing their future, especially with Doncic gone. 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? Because that would be an admission to his own mistake in the first place.
That said, McMahon opined that his decision to stick to Davis, a former NBA champ with the Los Angeles Lakers, could also lead to his mid-season firing.
Complete break of relations between 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, something owner Patrick Dumont doesn’t see eye to eye with.
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 comes 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 kickstarted 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.
