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If the Dallas Mavericks plan to trade star big man Anthony Davis by the Feb. 5 trade deadline, it sounds like they will have to work with him to find his preferred destination.
During Monday’s episode of The Hoop Collective (17:20 mark), ESPN’s Tim MacMahon explained why Davis will have some input in his next landing spot, comparing it to star forward Kevin Durant blocking the Phoenix Suns from trading him to the Golden State Warriors last season.
“When you’re dealing with a guy like Anthony Davis, or in the case of Kevin Durant last year, I think it’s similar situations, they’re going to have some say in the matter,” MacMahon said. “Like, you couldn’t just trade Kevin Durant to Golden State if he didn’t want to go there, it’s just not the reality of the way the NBA works. You can’t just trade Anthony Davis to a team that’s not willing to give him an extension this summer, that’s not the way this works.”
Speaking of Golden State, NBA insider Marc Stein reported that there is interest in acquiring Davis, but a potential deal appears unlikely, at least for now.
“The Warriors have held a longstanding fondness for Davis and I’m told that they have indeed had some internal discussions about pursuing him, but they do not appear to be actively doing so six-ish weeks out from the deadline,” Stein stated. “Golden State, for starters, has no realistic pathway to acquire Davis unless it is also willing to part with Jimmy Butler or franchise fixture Draymond Green. I’m likewise told that Davis’ contract — with potentially two years still left on it if the 32-year-old exercises his $62.7 million player option in 2027-28 — and the injury woes he has endured since becoming a Maverick have thrust a measure of pause into Golden State’s deliberations.”
Davis already missed time earlier this year with a calf injury, and he’s set to be sidelined once again after suffering a groin strain.
Still, the 32-year-old is one of the most talented two-way players in the league when healthy, and he can be a difference-maker for a team chasing an NBA championship.
This season’s trade deadline is just over a month away, so teams are running out of time to convince the Mavs to ship Davis away just a year after acquiring him from the Los Angeles Lakers as part of the shocking Luka Doncic deal.