When the Dallas Mavericks traded away Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a future first-round pick, they locked themselves into a three-to-five-year window to compete, at best. Davis, Kyrie Irving, and Klay Thompson are all in their 30s with an extensive injury history.
However, the Mavericks lucked out and won the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery on a 1.8% chance, and every sign points to them taking Duke star Cooper Flagg, giving them a potential star to build around for the next 15 years. Should that force the Mavericks to course-correct and chase a younger timeline?
READ MORE: NBA Champion boldly compares Cooper Flagg to LeBron James
Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis
Mar 31, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis (3) during the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Brooklyn Nets at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
ESPN's NBA insider Shams Charania revealed that if the Dallas Mavericks wanted to move on from Anthony Davis, he could fetch a high return.
"...If you put Anthony Davis on the open market right now he’s fetching you 4 or 5 1st round picks."
Here’s the context in which Shams said “if you put Anthony Davis on the open market right now he’s fetching you 4 or 5 1st round picks”.
Was talking more about the balance between teams prioritizing players versus picks, not in terms of any hypothetical trades. pic.twitter.com/hN7VYUBIAo
— Mavs Film Room 🐴🎥 (@MavsFilmRoom) June 17, 2025
Charania was comparing the Mikal Bridges trade last year between the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets to the Desmond Bane trade that just happened this week between the Memphis Grizzlies and Orlando Magic. However, it is interesting to hear him bring up Anthony Davis unprovoked.
It's unlikely that the Mavericks would consider a move this drastic as they believe they can contend right away with Flagg, Davis, Irving (once he returns from his ACL injury) and the depth that surrounds the team. Even if getting out of the Davis business with his injury history and the team's lack of draft capital moving forward might be the best move for the future of the franchise.
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