The Dallas Mavericks finally ripped the band-aid off and fired GM Nico Harrison, exactly 283 days after he traded Luka Dončić. It was painfully obvious at the time, to seemingly everyone but Harrison, that the Mavericks were headed for disaster. Winning the NBA Draft lottery and Cooper Flagg was a nice distraction, but Dallas is still plummeting toward rock bottom.
The news of Harrison's firing came hand-in-hand with rumors that the Mavs were open to trade inquiries on Anthony Davis. There is a long road ahead for Dallas, and they can't afford to waste a moment before they start making things better for Flagg. That doesn't necessarily mean making the roster more competitive right away — he walked into a disaster, and they need to let him know there's a plan, and they're actively working on it.
Trading Davis is a no-brainer but, unfortunately, the trade market is going to be cold. His contract is enormous, and his injury history is going to scare off plenty of teams. Threading the needle with a deal that's plausible, and returns something that actually helps the Mavs in the future, is a serious challenge. Here's the best we could come up with:
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Send Anthony Davis to the Hornets
Mavericks receive: Collin Sexton, Josh Green, Grant Williams, 2027 first-round pick
Hornets receive: Anthony Davis
I'm not sure this one really interests the Hornets, but they're frisky right now and the future is looking bright with LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, Kon Knueppel, Sion James and Ryan Kalkbrenner. They may be content to let it ride and not force the timeline, but they could land Davis for next to nothing. Sexton has been solid, but he's an expiring contract and probably not here next season. Green and Williams have been useful in the past, but neither have played yet this year because of injuries, and they don't really need to put either back into the rotation when they're healthy. They can give the Mavs back their own 2027 pick and still have two first-round picks in both the 2026 and 2027 drafts.
So, they could give up nothing that really matters to them and take a flyer on Davis, see if he can stay healthy to push them into the playoffs and help the rest of the young players develop in an actual competitive environment. If it doesn't work, there's no real loss.
For the Mavs, they'd probably like to get a lot more than this, but there just may not be many good deals out there. They'd get their own 2027 first-round pick back, plenty of financial flexibility and at least get one more shot-creator in Sexton to make things easier for Flagg this year.
Send Anthony Davis to the Grizzlies
Mavericks receive: Ja Morant, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
Grizzlies receive: Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson
This feels like a lose-lose, but Dallas and Memphis are both teams who may need to make a trade, even if it represents a step back. No picks change hands, no young building blocks for the future, we're just exchanging problems and doing the David Cross meme: "Well, did it work for those people? ... No, but it might work for us."
Morant is young enough that he could still be useful for the early part of Flagg's prime. You just hope he can "rediscover his joy" and that his athletic decline is more of a mirage than an inescapable reality. Maybe the Mavs catch a spark — not enough to actually push them into the playoffs and out of the draft lottery, but enough to inspire some hope and send them into next year with a core of Morant, Flagg, Dereck Lively, 2026's lottery pick and whatever they can get in trades for Kyrie and D'Angelo Russell.
If the Grizzlies reach a point where they feel like they have to trade Morant, there are going to be limited options. His contract and the peculiarities of his game will limit suitors, and their complete lack of leverage will drive down the potential return. Davis and Thompson don't really do anything for their future, but might help them stay competitive right now while they pivot to a future with Jaren Jackson, GG Jackson, Jaylen Wells and Cedric Coward as the centerpieces.
Send Anthony Davis to the Clippers
Mavericks receive: John Collins, Brook Lopez, Bogdan Bogdanović, 2030 first-round pick
Clippers receive: Anthony Davis
This framework is pretty realistic — Zach Lowe already mentioned it — which inherently means it's pretty depressing for both sides. On paper, the Clippers are getting a big upgrade at the 4, someone who can make things easier at both ends of the floor. In reality, they're adding another huge contract with huge injury concerns. The Clippers could win a title with Kawhi Leonard, James Harden and Davis. But it seems just as likely they have to win a playoff series with all three of them out with injuries.
For the Mavericks, they clear Davis' contract and get some rolling financial flexibility over the next two seasons. But none of these three players are part of their future, and none are going to help bring in young talent in a subsequent trade. They get a first-round pick, but the Clippers can't trade one for earlier than 2030, which means they're waiting four years.
This deal would mean that the Mavs flipped Dončić for Max Christie, some eventual cap space, the Lakers' 2029 pick and the Clippers' 2030 pick. That somehow looks even worse than the initial deal but, again, Dallas just don't have many options and this could be as good as it gets.