It's becoming increasingly clear that the Mavs will have no other choice but to move on from Anthony Davis at the trade deadline.
It is very possible that the Dallas Mavericks will possess three former No. 1 overall draft picks on their roster at one time - Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis and Cooper Flagg - yet the trio will not play a single second of basketball with one another.
Davis is at the center of NBA trade deadline speculation as his future in Dallas looms in the balance of interim general managers Matt Riccardi and Michael Finley's plans to build around the teenage phenom Flagg.
Irving, however, plays as big a part in this as anybody.
The Mavs began hushing trade rumors months ago when team governor Patrick Dumont said he wanted to at least see if the trio of former top picks can get on the floor all at once this season. Maybe if the enhanced lineup performed well, it could be worth considering building a roster around them with a "win-now" mindset.
Sep 29, 2025; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis (3) and guard Kyrie Irving (11) and forward Cooper Flagg (32) pose for a photo during the Mavericks 2025 media day at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn ImagesUnfortunately, Dallas has a long way to go in terms of any "winning" this season as the 14-23 Mavs have struggled without Irving.
The All-Star point guard is rehabbing a torn ACL from March, and the latest update to his injury status does not coincide with Dumont's pre-deadline plans.
ESPN reporter Tim MacMahon says that "Kyrie's not coming back before the trade deadline," meaning Dallas is better off getting the gears turning on a Davis trade that would free up financial flexibility to begin making Flagg the centerpiece next to the aging Irving for next season and beyond.
MacMahon adds: "Even if [Irving] did [return], it would be a tiny sample size. So you're not going to have that luxury of that evaluation period before one major decision needs to be made, and whether that's trade [Davis] or don't trade him.
"Either way, it is a major decision. I don't know at this point if Kyrie is playing this season. I know he wants to. We'll see if that's in his best interest. We'll see if it's in the franchise's best interest. Those are things that need to be sorted out."
In the meantime, Davis is due a large contract extension this offseason. That doesn't fit Dallas' long-term timeline - with or without Irving. ... oh, and on Thursday night at Utah, A.D. got hurt again ...
ESPN also states that, since the Atlanta Hawks' dump of Trae Young that shifts roster focus to defense, the market for Davis most prominently features Atlanta. The Hawks are no longer committed to a future extension for Young, which now positions them to pursue a big-name player seeking a new deal.
Shams Charania believes Davis to fit that mold, with a trade potentially coming "in season".
But realistically? After the 116-114 loss, coach Jason Kidd said that “he hurt his left hand.”
And to us? Davis' fraility along with Kyrie's unvailability might essentially block Dallas from doing anything substantial involving either one of them.
Davis and his agent Rich Paul have reportedly begun working on finding a team that can trade with Dallas and give the 10-time All-Star big man a long-term contract.
This won't be easy as the Mavericks are seeking draft capital and young talent in addition to the weight lifted of Davis' incoming extension.
All in all, we are approaching the likelihood that Dallas will ultimately come to an agreement with a team to trade Anthony Davis before the Feb. 5 trade deadline, meaning the overlapping careers of Davis, Irving and Flagg will only occur in the locker room and not on the court.