Anthony Davis, Dallas Mavericks
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(Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
The Dallas Mavericks traded for Anthony Davis, seeing him as part of their future. However, injuries have followed him since he arrived in the polarizing trade that sent Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers.
With Dallas at 14-24, the team is reportedly open to moving the veteran big man.Furthermore, any team exploring a trade or eventually signing him long-term would need to weigh that commitment against the health risks.
That risk grew this week.ESPN reported on Jan. 9, citing sources, that Davis suffered ligament damage in his left hand, an injury that could require surgery and sideline him for several months.
Despite the latest injury, former NBA player DeMarcus Cousins believes that any team, whether it’s the Mavs or another team, shouldn’t be afraid to pay Davis.
“In sports, injuries happen,”Cousins said on the Jan. 9 edition of “Run It Back.” “We all know that. To sit here and make this narrative about his injury history, it’s plenty of players that have gotten paid off injuries.”
Moreover, Cousins cites past examples of players getting paid despite spotty injury histories.
“We watched Kevin Durant get a max deal straight off an Achilles injury,“ Cousins added. “We’ve seen Chris Paul get deals coming off his history of hamstrings. It’s Joel Embiid. It’s so many players throughout the history of this game that still get what they deserve, and they’ve been injured. So let’s not start making this just about his injury. When he’s on the floor, he’s worth every penny, and that’s all that matters.”
Can Anthony Davis Stay Healthy?
Cousins also noted that there’s no guarantee a player will stay healthy after signing, or that their injury history will follow them. All teams have different medical and training staff who believe their staff could get the best out of Davis if they were to trade for or sign him.
“For all we know, he can never be injured again,“ Cousins added. “That’s just how this game works, how this sport works. So I just hate that the narrative around it is, should we pay him? You absolutely should be paying him. We don’t have these type of conversations when coaches coach for one year, and they still get all their money.”
The same ESPN report, citing sources, revealed that Davis’ trade market is complicated by his history of durability issues and his desire to sign a lucrative contract extension this offseason. Davis is owed $58.5 million next season and holds a $62.8 million player option for the 2027-28 campaign.
Anthony Davis’ Healthy Outlook Since Joining the Mavericks
Injuries have kept Davis off the floor for much of his time in Dallas. Since arriving in early February 2025 as the centerpiece of the polarizing Dončić trade, Davis has appeared in just 29 games, along with a handful of play-in contests.
He was already dealing with an abdominal strain when the trade was completed, and trouble followed almost immediately. Davis suffered an adductor strain in his Mavericks debut, an issue that forced him to miss the next six weeks.
Health setbacks continued into this season. A strained left calf cost Davis 14 games in November. Davis later missed two additional games after tweaking his adductor during Dallas’ Christmas Day loss to the Golden State Warriors. Now, you can add his hand injury.