Davis was traded from the L.A. Lakers to the Mavericks in return for superstar guard Luka Doncic last February, sending shockwaves throughout basketball and professional sports. Dallas had made the NBA Finals just a few months prior off the back of Doncic’s otherworldly play, and looked poised to contend for championships for years to come.
Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison has since been publicly bashed by both fans and pundits since the blockbuster deal, which eventually led to him being fired earlier this month.
Dallas finished 10th in the Western Conference last season and failed to advance past the Play-In tournament, and have started the 2025-26 campaign 4-12. Davis has only appeared in 14 of a possible 42 games since joining the Mavericks, averaging 20.3 points and 10.1 rebounds per game in that time.
The 32-year-old has only played five games so far this season, missing the last 10 games with a calf strain.
Anthony Davis – 2025-26 NBA Stats
Games
5
Minutes
29.8
Points
20.8
Rebounds
10.2
Assists
2.2
Blocks
1.2
Field Goal %
52.0%
3-Point Field Goal %
27.3%
The Mavs’ new front office is now looking for ways to clean up the mess left behind by Harrison. ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on Wednesday that the Mavericks will be listening to trade calls for Davis, despite minority owner Mark Cuban claiming Dallas won’t trade the superstar forward they “want to try to win.”
No matter what Cuban says, it seems as though the writing is on the wall for Davis’ time in Dallas. But where could the Mavericks send him?
Here are three Anthony Davis trade ideas that make a lot of sense.
1
Chicago Bulls
The Mavericks and Chicago Bulls make a lot of sense as trade partners here. If they’re looking to retool, Dallas would love to take on some expiring contracts in exchange for AD, which Chicago has plenty of.
The Bulls can ship out Nikola Vucevic, Kevin Huerter and Coby White — all on expiring deals — in a package with a first round pick, and could really use the interior defense Davis has built his career on. The Bulls give up the second most paint points per game in the NBA (55.4).
Chicago is also Davis’ hometown, and a homecoming for the 10-time All-Star could turn into quite the narrative. With the likes of Josh Giddey and Matas Buzelis giving the Bulls new life, the addition of a proven — but fragile — superstar could transform them from playoff hopefuls to darkhorse contenders.
The Toronto Raptors are rolling, winners of five straight and sitting in second place in the East with a 10-5 record.
The addition of Brandon Ingram seems to have been a stroke of genius, as the talented scorer has raised the potential of a young squad anchored by Scottie Barnes.
Anthony Davis would fit so well into the Raptors’ defensive schemes, and would fill a hole they currently have in the paint. Jakob Poeltl is a very useful player, but is nowhere near the versatile defender and difference-maker Davis is under the rim.
Toronto would have to part ways with Poeltl and one of RJ Barrett or Immanuel Quickley — two players entering their primes — to make this deal happen. They also have all their first round picks for the next few years, which means they have enough to sweeten the deal and get Dallas’ attention here.
3
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are the best team in the Eastern Conference, rocking a 13-2 record and riding a 10-game win streak.
Cade Cunningham has fully blossomed into a superstar, and the Pistons’ young core continues to develop into one of the best and most exciting nuclei in the NBA.
They’re looking like title contenders at the moment. But what could elevate them into the next tier? The answer might be Anthony Davis.
To start, AD would likely play at power forward in Detroit, which is his preferred position, as Jalen Duren holds down the paint almost singlehandedly.
Perhaps it would be too great a risk to mess with the Pistons’ mojo by trading for an injury-prone star, but the upside might be too good to pass up. Detroit has plenty of young assets and draft capital to make a deal work, and after sitting on the outside looking in for so long, maybe it’s time they put this contention window into overdrive.
Fabrizio Romano has confirmed some big news out of Tottenham on Sunday afternoon.
It’s an incredibly important period for Spurs, who are likely to see huge changes, both behind the scenes and with the playing squad.
A number of players are expected to leave the club, meaning Tottenham will have to be busy bringing in new additions.
Attracting players will be more difficult than in previous years due to the fact that they failed to qualify for any European football.
The North London outfit have also finished 17th in the Premier League in two successive seasons, with targets potentially fearful that they could be involved in a relegation battle again.
They do appear to be heading back in the right direction under Roberto De Zerbi, but it’s still early days.
Italian journalist Romano has confirmed that Tottenham’s move to tie Pedro Porro down to a new deal is now done, with the right-back signing a contract until 2031.
Tottenham also have the option to extend Porro’s stay at the club until 2032, while he has also received a pay increase.
There were reports of Manchester City and other clubs being interested in Porro, but Tottenham were never willing to allow him to depart, considering him untouchable.
Leeds now have their eye on one player after an impressive start to his World Cup tournament.
The World Cup is a real opportunity for clubs in the Premier League to find reinforcements, with the best players all across the world competing in one tournament.
It’s a chance for players to announce themselves on the biggest stage, and it’s a selling club’s dream, with transfer values often going through the roof.
Leeds and every other Premier League club will have multiple scouts at the tournament, and you so often see players getting big moves after the World Cup.
It could be a busy summer transfer window for the Yorkshire club as they aim to build on an impressive 2025/2026 season under Daniel Farke.
Leeds are in a strong position heading into the summer transfer window after they comfortably avoided relegation from the Premier League. The Yorkshire club don’t need to panic and can remain patient in their efforts to bring in reinforcements, knowing that Farke has a squad capable of competing.
The next step is to build a squad capable of climbing into the top half of the Premier League table. It could be an important summer if they want to do that as soon as possible. As mentioned, there is no need for Leeds to rush and panic, which gives them an upper hand when it comes to recruitment.
Manchester United have pulled out of the race to sign another midfielder after it was confirmed they have cooled their interest in Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson.
Signing another player in the middle of the park is a huge priority for United, but they won’t want to overpay.
Forest are demanding a huge fee for Anderson, and with Man City insisting on securing his signature, United are going to have to cough up a lot of money to sign him.
“Manchester United are not going for Sandro Tonali at this stage. The intention of Manchester United is not to proceed. Manchester United has been interested in Tonali for some time, and he’s been on Manchester United’s shortlist, but now Manchester United believe that the player is too expensive.”
United are also pushing to sign Newcastle defender Lewis Hall, and they believe that trying to sign both from the Magpies will make it an incredibly expensive deal.
The Portuguese star is a cheaper alternative to Anderson, with the Hammers reportedly demanding in the region of £85m.
Anderson has always been a dream target for United, but with the Red Devils not wanting to overpay, Fernandes is a smart alternative.
West Ham were relegated from the Premier League during the 2025-2026 season, meaning Fernandes is looking for a move back to a top league.
United are clearly looking to be smart with their recruitment this summer, pulling away from deals for Tonali and Anderson in order to find value in the market.
Dallas Mavericks
L.A. Lakers
Chicago Bulls
Toronto Raptors
Detroit Pistons
