Latest Cavaliers Trade Rumor Links Cleveland to Anthony Davis

After making a move to send forward De'Andre Hunter to the Sacramento Kings in exchange for better depth at the guard position, the Cleveland Cavaliers are looking to shake things up further.

On Tuesday, Feb. 3, it was released that the Cavaliers' front office is in talks with numerous teams around the league in hopes of making a splash. First reported by ESPN's Brian Windhorst, the Cavaliers are discussing a potential trade with both the Milwaukee Bucks and the Dallas Mavericks in two separate moves.

The potential deal involving the Bucks centers on multi-time Defensive Player of the Year and MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, while the Mavericks trade has seemingly come out of nowhere. The Cavaliers are reportedly exploring ways to pry away injury-plagued forward Anthony Davis.

The Davis move, unlike the Antetokounmpo interest, makes very little sense for Cleveland. Throughout his entire career, the 32-year-old Davis has dealt with countless injuries, including two separate issues that have kept him off the court in Dallas.

Due to his contract as well, the Cavaliers would have to give up Evan Mobley and restructure the rest of the roster. They'd be forced to salary dump veteran guard Lonzo Ball and then reach out to find a third team interested in joining the discussion.

Only then would they be able to make it work financially.

🚨 The Cavs have contacted the Bucks about Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Mavericks about Anthony Davis, per @WindhorstESPN

Cleveland is ACTIVE 😳

(Via @ESPNCleveland ) pic.twitter.com/1x6C4UUtVH
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) February 3, 2026

The Issue for Cleveland

As mentioned, a trade like this involves a lot of finagling of the books, with Cleveland's front office having to make various moves to free up the cap space needed to bring in a player of Davis' magnitude.

He's currently set to make $54,126,450 this season with two more years on his contract. That's an awful lot of time for the Cavaliers to buy into such a questionable player like Davis.

For the Cavaliers to give up on Mobley, too, they'd ultimately be pushing the notion that the team's window of championship contention is closing. At just 24-years-old, Mobley has a lot more time to continue to grow offensively and become a more consistent impact on a nightly basis.

Yes, he's struggled from time to time this season, but shipping him off to Dallas would also unintentionally create a potential dynasty.

The Mavericks drafted Cooper Flagg No. 1 overall in the 2025 NBA Draft, and adding a player like Mobley next to him might just push them over the edge into future contention. On the 2025-26 season, Mobley is averaging 17.9 points, 8.8 rebounds and 4.0 assists a night, while Flagg is posting 19.8 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists.

That type of all-around production would be perfect for Dallas, especially if they are looking to get younger and officially shut the Davis chapter.

If the Cavaliers decide to pull the trigger and bring in Davis, they'd officially be waving the white flag on Mobley and buying into Mitchell's potential finally few years with the organization. The front office would also be signaling this is the last move they'd make in the 2025-26 season, as it would result in very little financial freedom.

Instead, Cleveland should play it safe and work on securing either Los Angeles Clippers guard James Harden or Antetokounmpo, two players who aren't injury-prone. They both won't result in total cap destruction, either.

The upcoming trade deadline is set for Thursday, Feb. 5, at 3:00 p.m. EST.