After the Dallas Mavericks fired general manager Nico Harrison, there has been speculation on what the team will do with stars Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis. As the trade rumors swirl around key Mavericks pieces like Davis and Irving, the latest reporting suggests how that will be viewed within the franchise.
In the latest column by Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst of ESPN, they ask the question of what the future looks like for both Davis and Irving, especially with the team going through a rough start to the season. With the trade deadline in February, there's no denying that the Dallas stars will be thrown around in conversations, with Bontemps writing that from people in the NBA he's spoken to, dealing Davis or both players is “the optimal strategy.”
“The belief, from sources I spoke to, is that the Mavs moving on from at least Davis, if not both stars, was the optimal strategy,” Bontemps wrote. “Those moves would help maximize the 2026 first-round pick in a loaded 2026 draft class — the only selection Dallas controls the rest of this decade — to reposition the franchise around 2025 No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg.”
What the consensus says is the “correct strategy” for the Mavericks
While rumors around the Mavericks will continue for a while, it does seem a likely trajectory that the team will rebuild around star rookie Cooper Flag. Even an unnamed Eastern Conference executive told Bontemps would respond with “absolutely” when asked if trading Davis and Irving was the right move.
Brian Windhorst would go on to question the value of Davis, because of his age and the always-risk of him missing time, the insider would reinforce the notion that trading the big man specifically is consensually the “correct strategy.”
“Honestly, discussions with league executives this week surprisingly haven't centered around whether the Mavericks should trade Davis — there seems to be a consensus that it is probably the correct strategy despite being another painful development to sell to the fan base,” Windhorst wrote.
At any rate, Dallas is currently 3-9 as the team next faces the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night.
