The Dallas Mavericks are at an early crossroads for the 2025-26 NBA season and their future.
Mavericks owner Patrick Dumont wrote an open letter to fans after firing Nico Harrison on Tuesday, Nov. 11, after more than four and a half years as the team’s general manager.
Dumont also thanked the fans for holding the team ‘accountable, and their passion and patience’ for some of the decisions made in recent months.
The most notable being a trade package in February that sent a then-25-year-old Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers for a then-31-year-old Anthony Davis.
Dončić is among the NBA’s scoring leaders while Davis has missed the last seven games due to a left calf injury.
Davis is averaged 20.8 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists in five games played this season.
The Mavericks are 3-9 to start the season after losing 123-114 to the Phoenix Suns.
Will the Mavericks trade Anthony Davis?
When Harrison was making decisions for the Mavericks, it would have been unlikely Harrison would have traded Davis.
Davis and Harrison’s relationship went well beyond Dallas. They met when Davis was in high school, and the two became close when the forward signed with Nike, where Harrison was working at the time.
With Harrison no longer involved with the Mavericks, the possibility would appear more likely that Davis could be on the move again.
Dumont has requested medical data regarding Davis’ injury, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon reported. Dumont is not expected to let Davis play unless the data suggests Davis is not at risk of aggravating the strain.
Any further injury to Davis’ calf would only set the Mavericks back further and diminish any potential trade value.
According to NBA reporter Marc Stein, the Mavericks are expected to work with Anthony Davis to decide whether to pursue an in-season trade before the trade deadline on Feb. 5.
Davis could potentially be moved to help acquire younger players or draft assets that will help rebuild Dallas’ future around Cooper Flagg, who was the team’s selection with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 draft.