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The Dallas Mavericks shocked the world when they traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for a package centered around Anthony Davis. Many fans and media heavily criticized the move. But general manager Nico Harrison justified it by claiming that defense wins championships.
After all, while injury-prone and aging, Davis certainly is one of the best defensive players in the NBA. Even so, it seemed like Mavericks fans might never recover from the trading of their young Slovenian superstar.
Almost all was forgiven when the trade indirectly (or maybe not so indirectly?) resulted in the Mavericks winning the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery and earning the top overall pick, though.
Dallas' struggles after trading Doncic and suffering through a spate of injuries led to them becoming a lottery team. And they soared up the draft board despite just the 11th-best odds to land the No. 1 pick and the chance to draft Cooper Flagg.
The forward from Duke is one of the best draft prospects ever. And he can make for a great replacement for Doncic. However, Flagg plays the power forward position, which happens to be the same position that Davis plays.
The two can likely coexist with Davis moving over to center, his less-preferred position, and a trade involving Davis is unlikely because of how much they've invested into him. Even so, Flagg is the future of Dallas. And there are players who would better fit alongside him on the Mavericks roster.
So here are two trades involving Davis that the Mavericks would have to consider. These deals are highly unlikely, but there really is no predicting what Harrison is willing to do in the trade market.
Mavericks get a haul from the Rockets
Rockets receive: Anthony Davis
Mavericks receive: Jalen Green, Jabari Smith Jr., Reed Sheppard, 2025 first-round pick (via Suns)
Nearly everybody agreed that the trade of Doncic for Davis was a mistake the second the Mavs pulled the trigger on it. Davis is on the wrong side of 30 years old and has played in no more than 62 games in every season but 2023-24 since 2017-18. Injuries are a yearly reality with Davis. And although he is great when he plays, he is also well past his prime.
Now that Flagg will be leading the way for the Mavericks going forward, reestablishing a youth movement of sorts could make sense for Dallas. Flagg can contribute to winning right away, so they won't want to blow things completely up. Dealing Davis for young veterans like Jalen Green, Jabari Smith Jr., and Reed Sheppard could make sense, though.
Green and Smith were key contributors on a Rockets team that earned the two-seed in the Western Conference this season. Green is in the hot seat in Houston after a bad playoff run, which could make him available in a trade, but a bad stretch of games shouldn't completely erase his value.
While inconsistent throughout his young career, Green can get hot and score like one of the best players in the NBA. He is an incredible athlete and slasher. And when his jump shot is on, he is nearly unstoppable. At this point, Green might be more of a sparkplug scorer than a future star. But he still has the potential to become a special player.
With Kyrie Irving missing most of next season, if not all, because of an ACL tear, the Mavericks are going to need some more scoring pop. They obviously have plenty of defense, but the team was heavily reliant on Irving to create for himself and others, and now they will be without their top offensive threat.
The Rockets drafted Green second overall in 2021 and Smith third overall just a year later. Smith is another player with a proven skill set who still has room for improvement. He is an impressive defensive player who can score from all over the floor on offense.
The Mavs would also receive Reed Sheppard in this trade. Sheppard saw limited playing time after the Rockets drafted him third overall in 2025, but he tore up the G-League and could break out given a bigger opportunity. Houston's depth might make it hard for him to get heavy rotation minutes going forward, though.
The Mavericks are thin in the backcourt, so Sheppard could take a big step forward in his development in year two if the Rockets traded him to Dallas. All three of Green, Smith, and Sheppard are close to Flagg in age, so they could all grow together.
As proven commodities, though, the Mavericks wouldn't have to worry about them not translating to the professional game like they would with a bunch of draft picks.
The Rockets are one of the teams most anxious to trade for a superstar this offseason. While they'd likely rather trade draft capital than three potential rotation pieces, they'd still be happy to land Davis. The power forward is a dream fit alongside Alperen Sengun. And AD is the piece who could get the roster over the top.
Mavericks get younger in a trade with the Nuggets
Nuggets receive: Anthony Davis
Mavericks receive: 2031 first-round pick, Michael Porter Jr., Zeke Nnaji, Peyton Watson, Hunter Tyson, DaRon Holmes
One team with possible interest in Davis are the Denver Nuggets. They likely don't have enough talent and draft capital to offer the Mavericks for his services. But they do have some intriguing pieces. Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and Aaron Gordon aren't going anywhere, considering the success that core has had in this postseason, even after Michael Malone's firing.
Michael Porter Jr. has struggle recently, though, so he is the big trade piece that could be available this offseason. Porter's struggles are largely due to a shoulder injury. When healthy, he is one of the best 3-point shooters in the NBA. The Mavericks would also land a great defender in Peyton Watson and a 2024 first-round pick in DaRon Holmes in this trade.
Holmes missed all of his rookie season with an injury. But some have likened his skill set to that of Davis'. The 2031 first-round pick they'd add here is valuable as well because the Nuggets' core will likely be out of their prime by 2031, meaning this Nuggets pick could be a lottery pick.
If the Mavs make Davis available, the Nuggets would have interest because he'd fit perfectly next to Jokic. The three-time MVP is incredibly gifted on offense, but he has limitations defensively. Davis is built like a center and is an incredible rim protector. And that would take a lot of burden off of Jokic's shoulders.
The Mavericks would shock the world if they traded Davis, but it wouldn't be as big of a surprise as when they traded Doncic. Now that they've committed to drafting Flagg first overall, a Davis trade can't be written off completely regardless of how unlikely it is.
