Dallas Mavericks Rumors

Mavs To Explore Trade Market For Anthony Davis

November 19th, 2025 at 7:54am CST by Luke Adams

The Mavericks will explore the trade market for big man Anthony Davis prior to this season’s deadline, multiple team sources tell Tim MacMahon of ESPN.

There has been rampant speculation since the Mavericks parted ways with head of basketball operations Nico Harrison last week that Davis will end up on the trade block. MacMahon’s report is confirmation that the team will at least consider dealing the 32-year-old during the 2025/26 season.

As MacMahon explains, Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont and his new team of decision-makers – including co-interim general managers Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi, head coach Jason Kidd, and minority owner Mark Cuban – are “plotting to pivot” to a future built around this year’s No. 1 overall pick, 18-year-old Cooper Flagg. While Flagg represents the franchise’s long-term future, it remains unclear how significant a roster overhaul the club is mulling.

Davis has an impressive NBA résumé that includes 10 All-Star appearances, five All-NBA berths, five All-Defensive nods, a championship, and a spot on the league’s 75th anniversary team.

However, he also has an extensive injury history, which has reared its head in a major way since he was traded from Los Angeles to Dallas as part of last season’s shocking Luka Doncic blockbuster. Davis has appeared in just 14 of 48 possible regular season games for the Mavs since that deal and is currently sidelined due to a left calf strain.

Davis had hoped to return by now, but has been held out of action by the club’s medical staff. Dumont has reportedly been involved in that decision-making process, having pushed for a cautious approach in order to reduce the risk of the star forward/center aggravating the injury or making it worse. The team announced on Sunday that Davis will be reevaluated in seven-to-10 days.

Besides his injury history, Davis also represents a major risk for any team acquiring him due to his age (33 in March) and contract situation. He’s earning $54.1MM this season and $58.5MM in 2026/27, with a $62.8MM player option for ’27/28. He’ll also be extension-eligible next summer.

Although Davis is still expected to generate interest on the trade market, it’s possible the return wouldn’t be what the Mavs are hoping for. The 14th-year veteran could boost his value if he’s able to get back on the court soon and play at an All-NBA level again leading up to the February 5 trade deadline, but if Dallas isn’t satisfied with what an in-season return for Davis looks like, the team could end up waiting until the offseason to more seriously explore a deal.

And-Ones: LeBron, Curry, Team USA, 2026 Draft, Beverley, More

November 18th, 2025 at 4:56pm CST by Luke Adams

Asked by Steve Nash on the Mind the Game podcast about the possibility of suiting up for Team USA at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, LeBron James made it clear that’s not in his plans, while Stephen Curry indicated he’s a long shot too, per Anthony Slater of ESPN.

“You already know my answer,” James said. “I will be watching it.”

“God willing, I still have the choice and physical option where I could impact the team,” Curry said. “Never say never, but I highly doubt it. Highly doubt it.”

James and Curry teamed up for Team USA at the Olympics for the first time in 2024, defeating the hosts (France) in Paris in the gold medal game after pulling off a dramatic come-from-behind win in the semifinal against Serbia.

“We can’t top what we just did,” James said. “How we gonna top those last two games?”

We have more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Kansas guard Darryn Peterson is the first player off the board in the first 2026 mock draft published by Jeremy Woo of ESPN. Woo has BYU’s AJ Dybantsa at No. 2, Duke’s Cameron Boozer at No. 3, and Tennessee’s Nate Ament at No. 4, with UNC’s Caleb Wilson rounding out the top five.
More details have emerged related to Patrick Beverley‘s arrest for assault, with TMZ reporting that the former NBA guard is accused of punching his sister in the eye and choking her for between 20 and 30 seconds. Beverley, who has been out of the NBA since the 2023/24 season, was arrested on Friday and was charged with assault of a family/household member.
After parting ways with the Brisbane Bullets earlier this season for personal reasons, former NBA guard Javon Freeman-Liberty reengaged with the team last week and has now re-signed with the Bullets for the rest of the 2025/26 season, reports Olgun Uluc of ESPN (Twitter links). Freeman-Liberty, a former DePaul standout, appeared in 22 NBA regular season games for Toronto in 2023/24.
While the Mavericks had hoped to acquire Dennis Smith Jr.‘s G League returning rights, the Wisconsin Herd – the Bucks‘ affiliate – still holds those rights and is hopeful of having Smith join them soon, league sources tell Marc Stein (Twitter link).

Southwest Notes: KD, Sengun, Bey, Zion, Mavs, Morant, Edey, Coward

November 18th, 2025 at 9:05am CST by Luke Adams

When Fred VanVleet tore his ACL prior to training camp, it raised questions about how the Rockets would function without a veteran point guard on the court to organize the offense. However, VanVleet’s absence hasn’t slowed down Houston’s attack at all through the season’s first four weeks — Houston ranks first in the NBA with an offensive rating of 123.4.

As William Guillory of The Athletic writes, the offseason addition of forward Kevin Durant, the ongoing improvement of center Alperen Sengun, and the chemistry quickly formed between that duo have been major factors in the Rockets’ success so far. Durant recently told Guillory that he has never played with a big man who can “dominate in the post” the way that Sengun does. Sengun, meanwhile, said he has “never played with so much space in my life” thanks to the defensive attention that Durant commands.

While Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard have handled their increased on-ball responsibilities admirably in the wake of VanVleet’s injury, the Rockets are frequently running their offense through Sengun, who is operating as something of a “point center,” Guillory writes. The big man is leading the team with 7.4 assists per game, as he and Durant look to take advantage of defenses keying on them by getting their teammates involved — the rest of the Rockets are shooting 48.8% from the floor so far this season.

“We know teams are going to go after Kevin quite a bit. Alpi in the pocket is a great decision-maker and scorer. We invite the double-teams and let Alpi play with the numbers behind it,” head coach Ime Udoka said. “It’s a good thing for us. Alpi gets doubled in the post; KD gets doubled on the perimeter. It opens up shots for everyone else. The chemistry between those guys is really growing.”

We have more from around the Southwest:

Pelicans forward Saddiq Bey missed a game for the first time this season on Monday, having been ruled out of the second end of a back-to-back set due to a sprained left ankle (Twitter link). He was originally listed as questionable, as was forward Zion Williamson, who ultimately sat for an eight straight game. Those initial injury designations suggest that Williamson is close to returning and that Bey shouldn’t be out long.
Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd, who has been without multiple rotation players in every game this season, expressed some frustration on Monday over the team’s ongoing injury issues, per Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News (Twitter link). “Our health is a big problem,” Kidd said. “We have guys out for one game and then they’re in and on minute restrictions. There’s no continuity. There won’t be any continuity. We’re trying to piece this thing together, and give those guys in that locker room credit. They’re fighting, and it’s just what it is right now until we can get healthy.”
While rival teams are wondering whether the struggling Grizzlies might consider blowing up their roster, the messaging out of Memphis is that the team has no interest in taking that route and remains committed to building around Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr., writes Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link). Even if the Grizzlies change their minds and make Morant available, Fischer doesn’t view the Timberwolves as a logical trade partner, given Minnesota’s lack of draft assets and the fact that the Wolves would have to give up at least one valuable starter for salary-matching purposes.
Center Zach Edey, who recently returned from ankle surgery, and forward Cedric Coward, who has been dealing with some foot soreness, were both on minutes restrictions on Saturday, according to Grizzlies head coach Tuomas Iisalo. Both players logged about 25 minutes. “It’s a challenging situation, because both guys have done a great job for us, we like to play them a lot and both are starting for us,” Iisalo said, per Michael Wallace of Grind City Media. “But at the same time, we have to be smart because their future is also very important for us. So, we’re making sure we make good decisions right here, especially with those two guys.”

Mavs Notes: AD, Kyrie, Flagg, Cisse, Williams, Thompson

November 17th, 2025 at 7:09pm CST by Rory Maher

ESPN insiders Bobby Marks, Kevin Pelton, Zach Kram and Jeremy Woo take a look at some important decisions the Mavericks will face in the coming months, including whether they should trade Anthony Davis — and what they might be able to get for him.

“While you can point to Davis as a top-20 player in Los Angeles, it is a $175 million gamble and perhaps more, if you trade for him,” a Western Conference executive told Marks. “I would want to see a long stretch of games of Davis healthy before there could ever be a discussion.

“The extension and paying a player in their mid-30s an average of $69 million and the last nine months in Dallas is what scares me. In this current CBA, you cannot afford to have a player earning 35% of the salary cap on the sidelines more than on the court.”

As Marks writes, while rival teams would undoubtedly take on risk if they pursued Davis, given his contract situation (he’s in the first season of a three-year, $175MM deal and will be eligible for a massive new extension in the offseason) and lengthy injury history (he’s currently sidelined with a calf strain), the star big man would still receive interest if he’s put on the market.

Here’s more on the Mavs:

Appearing on NBA Today on Monday (Twitter video link), Marc J. Spears of Andscape and ESPN provided an injury update on star guard Kyrie Irving. “Kyrie’s looking good, he’s ahead of schedule. He’s working out with the purpose of playing this season,” Spears said. “… I think, optimistic-wise, probably around late January, All-Star break (for a potential return). Someone close to (Irving) told me if it was the playoffs he could play right now. … But the problem is, who’s running the show? What’s their record going to be? Will Anthony Davis be back? I think by the time he’s able to potentially come back in late January, there’s going to be a collective decision — from him, from the team, from everybody that’s close to him — on whether it’s worth it for (Irving) to come back. But I hear he wants to be back.”
Top pick Cooper Flagg was held to just two points in the first half on Sunday against Portland and was “visibly irritated” by the way the game was going for him, according to Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal. The 18-year-old rookie credited Daniel Gafford for changing his mindset — Flagg scored 19 points in the second half and helped lead the Mavs to their fourth victory. “He was frustrated at halftime,” Gafford said. “I told him to slow down — it’ll come to him. The game finds you.”
With six players (Twitter link via Afseth) — including big men Davis, Gafford (right ankle injury management) and Dereck Lively II (right knee injury management) out on Monday for the second game of a back-to-back, center Moussa Cisse received his first career start, tweets Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News. The 6’10” rookie, who is on a two-way contract, has been a bright spot for Dallas amid a disappointing start to the season, averaging 4.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 10.8 minutes per game through 10 appearances.
In a pair of stories for DallasHoopsJournal.com, Afseth takes a look at how Brandon Williams‘ speed has created advantages for the Mavericks’ offense and how the attention Klay Thompson attracted on Sunday (he tied a season-high with 19 points) led to easy scoring opportunities for teammates. “Brandon Williams has been incredible,” Flagg said. “High energy, so quick, uses his speed to get downhill and find guys. Our chemistry in the two-man game late in games has been really good.”

Central Notes: White, Davis, Siakam, Martin, Cunningham, Duren

November 17th, 2025 at 1:38pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Bulls guard Coby White made his long-awaited season debut and he didn’t disappoint. White, who was sidelined by a calf strain, scored 27 points and delivered eight assists in a double overtime loss to Utah on Sunday.

“The coaching staff talked to me about coming back and being aggressive, being who I was,” White said, per Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun Times. “Not kind of tiptoeing. I focused on that.”

White will be an unrestricted free agent next summer.

We have more from the Central Division:

Mavericks big man Anthony Davis was born in Chicago. Would the Bulls consider trading for the highly productive but oft-injured Davis? Cowley doubts that, noting that executive VP of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas said at the start of training camp, “We have to be patient, we have to do it the right way and we can’t skip steps.” Davis has two guaranteed seasons remaining on his three-year, $175.3MM deal, which includes a player option for 2027/28.
The Pacers have been decimated by injuries, but forward Pascal Siakam says that’s not a strong enough excuse for a 1-12 start. “We are playing in the NBA, the best league in the world,” he told The Indianapolis Star’s Dustin Dopirak. “There shouldn’t be a reason why you’re out there every single night and not giving your best or trying to be the best that you can be and giving it your all. There’s thousands and millions of people who would give everything they have to be in the situation that we’re in. There’s no excuse. Obviously, it’s been tough on us. We have injuries every single day. Guys are in situations that they’re not supposed to be in. But we can’t find it as an excuse and just go out there every single night and be like, ‘Whatever happens happens.’ It has to matter. We have to fight.”
Cody Martin‘s 10-day contract under the hardship exception expired on Saturday and the Pacers couldn’t sign him to another, according to Dopirak, since they currently don’t qualify under the hardship rules. Martin appeared in four games during his brief stay with Indiana.
The Pistons could have three starters back on Monday against Indiana, including star guard Cade Cunningham. Cunningham has missed the last two games due to a left hip contusion, while Ausar Thompson (right ankle sprain) has missed the last three — both players are listed as questionable. Jalen Duren, who has also missed the last two games due to a right ankle sprain, is listed as probable, according to The Detroit Free Press’ Omari Sankofa II.

Stein’s Latest: Davis, Cuban, Myers, Achiuwa

November 17th, 2025 at 8:00am CST by Arthur Hill

Anthony Davis could become the biggest name on the trade market heading into the deadline, but only if he shows he can be healthy and productive for an extended stretch, Marc Stein of The Stein Line writes in his latest Substack column (subscription required).

Injuries have plagued Davis ever since the Mavericks acquired him last February. He missed his eighth straight game on Sunday with a strained left calf, and the team announced that he won’t be reevaluated for another week to 10 days.

Even with last night’s overtime victory against Portland, Dallas is off to a 4-10 start and Stein states that rival teams are expecting the Mavs’ front office to listen to offers for Davis. However, he added that there’s a “general consensus leaguewide” that Davis will have to show he can stay on the court throughout December and January to convince teams that he’s worth a major trade offer.

Davis averaged 25 points, 11.7 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in Dallas’ first four games before leaving with the calf injury after playing just seven minutes on October 29. He has been an All-Star the past two seasons and is still a dominant inside force when he’s healthy. However, he was limited to nine games last season and may no longer be part of the future plans for the Mavericks, who have the option of rebuilding around top pick Cooper Flagg.

Davis, who’s still in the first season of a three-year, $175MM extension, is owed $58.5MM in 2026/27 and holds a $62.8MM player option for 2027/28. He’ll become eligible for another extension next summer.

Stein states that Daniel Gafford is considered to be “the most tradable” Maverick, but frequent injuries to Davis and Dereck Lively II could make the team reluctant to part with Gafford.

There’s more from Stein:

Mark Cuban is providing “input and counsel” to the Mavericks’ management team after being out of that circle for the past year-and-a-half, sources tell Stein. Matt Riccardi and Michael Finley were appointed as co-general managers on an interim basis after Nico Harrison‘s firing last week, and Stein states that they’re the most prominent voices in the organization, along with coach Jason Kidd.
Stein reports that Bob Myers isn’t a candidate to eventually replace Harrison in Dallas. The former Warriors general manager isn’t available, even as a consultant, after recently becoming president of sports for Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, which owns teams in the NFL, NHL and Premier League, along with the Sixers. Myers is a friend of Mavs CEO Rick Welts, and Stein suggests that he may be asked for input as the team seeks its next permanent GM. Stein adds that Myers has turned down “numerous overtures” from NBA teams since leaving Golden State.
Stein hears that the Sixers had interest in Precious Achiuwa before he signed a one-year deal with the Kings two weeks ago.

Anthony Davis To Be Re-Evaluated In 7-10 Days

November 16th, 2025 at 5:59pm CST by Eli Cohen

Anthony Davis will remain out for at least the next week due to his left calf strain, the Mavericks announced (via Twitter).

The team stated that the latest reevaluation of Davis’ injury showed good progress, but that he will be examined again in seven-to-10 days, with further updates to come.

“He wants to play. He’s doing everything to get back,” head coach Jason Kidd said, per Mike Curtis of the Dallas Morning News (via Twitter). “For AD, I’m not trying to speak for him but he wants to be out there to help us. but this gives him seven-to-10 days to get better, and hopefully in seven-to-10 days he’s back on the floor.”

Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont has reportedly been involved in the decision-making process on Davis’ return timeline, having pushed for a cautious approach in order to reduce the risk of aggravating the injury or making it worse.

Davis has appeared in five games for the Mavs this season, during which time Dallas went 2-3. He is averaging 20.8 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per night.

Davis has missed the last eight games after leaving the team’s October 29 win against the Pacers after six minutes of play. The Mavs currently hold the fifth-worst record in the league at 3-10.

Anthony Davis Listed As Doubtful For Sunday

November 15th, 2025 at 8:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Mavericks are listing Anthony Davis as doubtful for Sunday’s meeting with Portland, tweets Marc Stein of The Stein Line, who points out that Davis has been considered questionable for the past few games. Davis has missed the last eight games with a left calf strain, and Stein notes (via Twitter) that he’s already been surpassed in career minutes as a Maverick by rookie forward Cooper Flagg.

Mavs Notes: Dirk, Harrison, Luka, AD, Turnovers, Flagg

November 15th, 2025 at 2:10pm CST by Rory Maher

Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki, now an analyst for Amazon Prime, recently weighed in on the team’s dismissal of head of basketball operations Nico Harrison (Twitter video link).

“Well, I think there’s just too many distractions, too much going on to keep going this way. This move should have probably happened this summer honestly,” Nowitzki said (hat tip to NBA insider Marc Stein). “I didn’t want this negative energy and this black cloud over the Cooper Flagg era, but here we are now.

“I just knew … I figured this fan base is a passionate and loyal fan base. I was lucky enough to experience it for 21 years. And I knew they weren’t (going to) just get over it, as people say, or forget about it. They’re extremely passionate.

“And this (Luka Doncic) trade just made no sense. It made no sense to (the fans). And, really, there was no explanation for it, either. You go to the (NBA) Finals the year before. You gave up all these assets to build, really, the team around Luka with some 6-9 wings that all can switch and guard. You had two lob threats with (Daniel) Gafford and (Dereck) Lively II and the team was built around him.

“You added Klay (Thompson) (when) the shooting was a little bit of an issue in the Finals against Boston. So you did all this. … Going into (the) Christmas Day game, they were 14-3 out of the last 17 games, so they’re just starting to hit their stride and then Luka gets hurt. And unfortunately that’s the last game he’s ever played in a Mavs uniform.

“It was very sad. It was very sad how that ended and it felt like … the fans feel like they got robbed of actually seeing the end, seeing this through, seeing Luka develop into hopefully a champion one day and it feels like they never got to see the end to this. So this was very heartbreaking.

“But now it’s time to move on. … Focus on this team, on this franchise. (The trade) definitely set the franchise back. But now it’s about building it back up. Obviously this team is struggling a bit, it needs the support all they can get. Hopefully we can have a good year here from now on and cheer the team up.”

Here’s more from Dallas:

After the Lakers lost to the Thunder on Wednesday, Doncic was asked for his reaction to the firing of Harrison, as Dave McMenamin of ESPN relays. “The city of Dallas, the fans, the players, they’ll always have a special place in my heart,” Doncic said. “I thought I was going to stay there forever, but I didn’t. So that will always be a special place for me. I will always call it home. But right now, I’m focused on the Lakers and trying to move on. But obviously, always there will be a part of me there. But just trying to move on and focus on what I’m doing here.”
Star big man Anthony Davis has been listed as questionable for each of the past four games, but he has yet to make his return from a left calf strain. League sources confirm to Stein that Davis won’t suit up again until the team’s medical staff informs governor Patrick Dumont that the 10-time All-Star has been fully cleared (Twitter link). Davis’ health status was reportedly a point of contention in the days leading up to Harrison’s dismissal.
Although the Mavs were able to claw their way back into Friday’s double-overtime loss to the Clippers, excessive turnovers — they committed 25 in the game — proved too difficult to overcome, particularly in crunch time, writes Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal. “It’s something we’ve talked about,” head coach Jason Kidd said. “We have to address it. We have to do better if we want to win — being able to get a shot, and then you want to get a quality shot. The turnovers hurt us. In overtime we had turnovers where we didn’t get a shot.”
After Friday’s game, Flagg admitted he feels more comfortable at his natural position of forward rather than running the point, which the No. 1 overall pick was asked to do to open the season. “Being a point guard comes with a lot of responsibility,” Flagg said, per Afseth. “I don’t know if I was ready for that right away. It doesn’t mean I can’t go back to it or improve… but lately it’s been better having someone else help with pressure.”

Mavs’ Dereck Lively Expected To Return Friday

November 14th, 2025 at 12:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Mavericks center Dereck Lively II is on track to return to action on Friday when Dallas hosts the Clippers, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

Lively has been sidelined since October 26 due to a right knee sprain that kept him on the shelf for the team’s past nine games.

Asked on Friday by reporters whether he’ll play tonight, Lively didn’t confirm Charania’s report, but smiled and said, “Time will tell” (Twitter video link via Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News).

Lively’s return will be a welcome sight for a Mavs team that hasn’t had a fully healthy frontcourt since the regular season began. Daniel Gafford missed the first five games of the season due to a sprained ankle and by the time he made his debut on November 1, Lively was out with his knee sprain while Anthony Davis was sidelined due to a calf strain.

Davis still hasn’t made his return, with a report earlier this week stating that team governor Patrick Dumont wants to see medical data indicating the star big man won’t be at risk of aggravating his calf strain or making the injury worse before he signs off on Davis’ return.

Lively, who underwent offseason ankle surgery, started Dallas’ first three games this season but played a limited role, averaging 5.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.3 blocks in 16.7 minutes per night. He made 7-of-9 field goal attempts across those three outings, while the Mavs had a +11.8 net rating during his 51 minutes on the court.

Friday’s game at American Airlines Center is a matchup between two underachieving Western Conference teams that entered the season expecting to make the playoffs. Dallas has a 3-9 record so far, while L.A. is just 3-8.