The Dallas Mavericks may have to ease up on the gas pedal a little bit if they want to be able to successfully move Anthony Davis.
Davis does not currently have a robust trade market, Tim Bontemps of ESPN said on the latest episode of “The Hoop Collective” podcast. Bontemps noted that teams are not really “lining up” to trade for Davis right now.
“The idea of trading Anthony Davis has everyone trained to think, ‘Well, they’re gonna get three firsts, two swaps. They’re gonna get two young players. They’re gonna get all this stuff,’” said Bontemps. “I shouldn’t say it’s not gonna happen … But you talk to people in the league, [and] there’s not a lot of teams that are lining up to take on a 35-year-old Anthony Davis making $63 million, and you have to assume that he’s gonna opt into that deal. A lot of this is going to be if Dallas finds someone willing to take on the money.”
Indeed, Davis, now 32 years old, is signed through 2028. He is making $54.1 million this season and $58.5 million next season. Davis holds a $62.8 million player option for 2027-28 as well.
The perpetually injury-prone Davis also has not played at all for the Mavericks since October due to a calf strain. Thus, his trade value is probably at an all-time low right now, and Dallas would likely need Davis to come back healthy and boost his stock again before having a realistic chance of moving him for fair value.
We have heard in recent days that multiple NBA contenders (particularly in the Eastern Conference) are eyeing the possibility of a Davis trade, especially with Dallas now at 5-13 on the season. But it sounds like there is still a long way to go before the Mavericks can actually find the match that would make such a trade happen.
