A looming contract extension factors into any potential move involving Dallas Mavericks' Anthony Davis, which could shorten the list of potential suitors, as former NBA guard Lou Williams reminded fans ahead of this year's trade deadline. Davis has two years left on his current deal, including a player option for the 2027-28 season, which is worth $62.7 million.
Davis' lengthy injury history, including a recent left hand injury that forced him to leave Thursday's 116-114 loss to the Utah Jazz, early, is a growing concern for any team considering making a deal for him, as Williams explained, per FanDuel TV's Run It Back.
“Just the injury history I'm on the bandwagon of it now. I'm starting to see it,” Williams said. “I'm a big AD fan. I'm a big AD guy. I feel like any team that he plays for, anytime he's on the floor, he gives them a huge advantage to try to go out and win basketball games. He's a champion. He's all of those things that we can put on his resume, that we can put on his jacket. But he's also injury prone. And he also has a history of being injury prone.”
Lou Williams wonders if Davis' latest setback is another hint for potential suitors to stay clear from the 32-year-old big.
“Even in these trade conversations, we've watched him get hurt two or three times in the last two or three weeks. It's like where do we go with this when we're investing,” Williams added. “When we're investing into the future of our organization, how much are we going to get out of this?
“When he's available, [Anthony Davis] is a top-5 big in this league when he’s available. The problem is availability, and it’s a huge problem when you’re trying to get a large contract extension.”
“[Anthony Davis] is a top-5 big in this league when he’s available. The problem is availability, and it’s a huge problem when you’re trying to get a large contract extension.”
– Lou Williams on AD 👀
(via @RunItBackFDTV)pic.twitter.com/uzrhLXYHH2
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) January 9, 2026
The NBA trade deadline is on February 5.
Anthony Davis trade complications ahead of deadline
Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd spared the tough break kid speech for Anthony Davis, following the veteran's latest hand injury on Thursday. For Kidd, it's next man up mentality for his team, which has dealt with an extended list of injured starters from Davis to Kyrie Irving, who has yet to make his season debut, and Dereck Lively II, who's ruled out for the year.
Still, Davis has been thrusted into trade rumors, including a deal with the Raptors, who have expressed interest in the 7-footer, according to ClutchPoints' Brett Siegel.
“Although it is known that Toronto would like to move below the tax line this season, this team is also continuing to see what big moves could potentially be available to them, including stars like Anthony Davis and Domantas Sabonis at the top of the list,” Siegel reported.
The Mavericks will face the Bulls on Saturday.
