ESPN's Kendrick Perkins believes the Dallas Mavericks should be really busy ahead of the trade deadline with aging veterans Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving, as they pursue ways to improve the talent surrounding rookie Cooper Flagg. Anthony Davis has been mentioned in trade rumors amid his latest hand injury, and Irving, recovering from a torn ACL injury, has yet to make his season debut for the Mavericks.
Still, Perkins believes the Mavericks need to do everything in their power to feature the two in either a joint or separate trade proposal ahead of February 5's trade deadline, he said, per ESPN's NBA Countdown.
“What are you holding on for? You got a generational player; you have your guy. I'm not just considering trading Anthony Davis; I'm trading the 33-year-old Kyrie Irving, too. If you're talking about rebuilding, rebuild,” Perkins said. “If you're going to go full rebuild mode and build around Cooper Flagg, we want to add those young pieces to grow with him.
“Kyrie Irving is 33-years-old. I'm trading both him and Anthony Davis, and I'm going to get me some draft picks. Some pieces and draft well, and add some pieces around Cooper Flagg, and I'm looking forward to next year.”
"I'm trading both [Kyrie Irving] and Anthony Davis and I'm going to get me some draft picks… draft well, add some pieces around Cooper Flagg and I'm looking forward to next year."
Kendrick Perkins on how the Mavs should move forward 🗣️
(via @ESPNNBA)pic.twitter.com/12eWAdxLFw
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) January 15, 2026
While some NBA fans are eager to see what the Mavericks look like without any injuries to their core players, Kendrick Perkins says a full-blown rebuild is in order. The Mavericks (15-25) have the fourth-worst record in the Western Conference this season.
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Mavericks staffer on Rich Paul amid Anthony Davis trade rumors
The Mavericks won't be forced to trade Anthony Davis, a team staffer stated, according to ESPN's Tim McMahon. The message was directed toward Davis' agent, Rich Paul, who could apply pressure for his client to be moved to a specific team, depending on the level of interest from potential suitors, as McMahon noted, per ESPN's The Hoop Collective podcast.
“‘Rich Paul is not going to bully us.' That is a direct quote from a member of the Mavericks organization. Another member of the Mavericks organization, referring to Patrick Dumont, the Governor. ‘Patrick's not going to sign off on a deal just to do a deal. Ownership doesn't feel any pressure to do an AD deal,'” McMahon reported.
“Patrick has no problem going into next year and seeing with a healthy Kyrie and a healthy AD alongside Cooper Flagg and seeing what it looks like,” another staffer added.
While Davis' latest injury doesn't help his mid-season trade stock, there is reportedly still a level of interest in AD across the NBA.