Anthony Davis has been sidelined for nearly a month with a calf strain, but a return could come as soon as this weekend after he practiced Wednesday with the Dallas Mavericks. It will be a major boost for a Mavericks team that has gone 3-11 in Davis’ absence, but whenever the All-Star forward returns, he’ll be rejoining a team with far different expectations than the one that he was on when the season started.
In the middle of Davis’ absence, the Mavericks fired general manager Nico Harrison, the man who was responsible for orchestrating the trade that sent Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for bringing Davis to Dallas. It ended a tumultuous tenure for Harrison, who was consistently booed at home games with chants of “Fire Nico” raining down on him every chance the fans got. Though none of that ire was thrown Davis’ way, he will always be the guy that cost the Mavericks their beloved superstar, as Harrison had long admired Davis and specifically wanted to bring him to Dallas.
In his first public comments about Harrison since his dismissal, Davis said he was stunned by his firing.
“It was surprising more than anything,” Davis said. “Nico’s my guy, obviously he played a huge part in getting me here and wanting me to fulfill his vision in a sense. It was definitely tough. Me and him had a conversation. Me and [Mavericks governor] Patrick [Dumont] had a conversation. It’s the business of basketball.”
With Harrison ousted, that immediately brings Davis’ status with the team into question. Without the man that so badly wanted him in a Mavericks jersey in charge anymore, that allows the possibility of Davis potentially being a trade candidate before the February deadline. It’s already been reported that the Mavericks are expected to explore the trade market for Davis, though actually getting a deal done may be difficult given his robust contract that pays him in total $121.2 million over the next two years, including a $62.7 million player option in 2027.
With rookie Cooper Flagg considered the future of this franchise after the Mavericks lucked into the No. 1 pick last June, it’s probably best for both the Mavericks and Davis to part ways. Davis is 32 years old and would be better served playing on a championship contender. From now until the trade deadline on Feb. 5, trade rumors will circulate about him, though it’s not the first time he’s dealt with that type of cloud hovering over him.
“Man look, ya’ll make it like we’re going to war or something,” Davis said when asked about how trade rumors affect him. “This is basketball, it comes with it. I think everybody in their career has been involved in trade talks, been traded or some type of move. That doesn’t affect me. I’ve been in trade talks for awhile. My job is to do what I do when I’m on the floor, play basketball and try to lead this team. Whatever comes out of that, comes out of that. I don’t really have any control over that. But I do have an open line of communication with the front office, and I’m just ready to get back on the floor.”
Davis practiced on Wednesday with the hopes that he’ll be ready to play in one of Dallas two back-to-back games against the Lakers on Friday and Clippers on Saturday. Obviously there will plenty of attention surrounding the Lakers matchup, as it will pit Davis and Dončić against their former teams. If it were up to Davis, he’d be playing on Friday.
“You know what game I want to play,” Davis said when asked if there was a preference to which game he wanted to make his return for. “But we’ll see, we’ll have a conversation and see what makes the most sense with the medical and coaching staff. Obviously I would like to [play against the Lakers] but at the end of the day, the main thing is getting back on the floor, whether that’s Friday or Saturday.”
The Mavericks were 2-3 when Davis was on the floor, but several adjustments have been made to the starting lineup since he’s been sidelined. The hair-brained scheme to have Flagg start at point guard despite no prior experience at the position has been put to rest. Klay Thompson has been primarily moved to a bench role, and while the frontcourt is still banged up with Dereck Lively II now expected to miss extended time, Daniel Gafford can fill the center position with Davis at the power forward spot.
It’s still an imperfect roster, and Davis certainly isn’t a perfect antidote for every issue that ails this team. But having him healthy will make things easier on everyone else on both ends of the floor. And from a trade perspective, the Mavericks need Davis to be healthy in order to build back his trade value, and if he wants to get to a championship-contending team, it should also be his goal to return to All-Star status.