3 Anthony Davis NBA trade ideas now that Mavericks have fired Nico Harrison

The Dallas Mavericks finally pulled the plug on Nico Harrison, firing the general manager on Tuesday after a little more than four years in basketball operations. Despite having Cooper Flagg on the roster, the future looks bleak for the organization, as they don't have control over their first-round picks from 2027 to 2030 due to previous trades.

They do have their 2026 first, and it may be in the franchise's best interest to make that pick as good as possible. But they also have to start to recoup some of that value, and they can do that by trading Anthony Davis. He never made sense on this roster to begin with, and now that Nico Harrison is gone, there has never been a better time to do so.

ESPN's Tim MacMahon reported that as long as Harrison was there, he would never trade Anthony Davis. Whether that's because he thought Davis was that spectacular of a player, or if he believed his job security was tied to him, doesn't matter now. He established a three-year window, and year two is already cooked.

If the Mavericks decided to move off of Anthony Davis, what are some potential options in a trade? It's important to go into it and not expect a return that justifies trading away Luka Doncic, but the Mavs have to get away with the best offer they can. Here are three possible trade options.

1. Sending Anthony Davis home to Chicago

Mar 29, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic (9) defends Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis (3) during the second half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

Dallas Receives: Coby White, Nikola Vucevic, Kevin Huerter, Patrick Williams, 2028 unprotected first-round pick, 2030 top-4 protected first-round pick
Chicago Receives: Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson, Jaden Hardy, Dante Exum, 2030 second-round pick (via PHI)

This trade makes a lot of sense from a lot of perspectives. Vucevic, Huerter, and Coby White are all on expiring contracts, and it's unlikely that Vucevic and White will be extended in Chicago. They have their point guard of the future in Josh Giddey, and they're off to a great start this season without Coby White with a 6-4 record.

Davis is from Chicago, it'd still be a big market for him, and it would solve Chicago's biggest need: interior defense. They're 26th in the NBA in points in the paint allowed, and Vucevic isn't getting any younger. Klay Thompson clearly needs point guards to be effective, and having Josh Giddey and Tre Jones help set him up will be big. And Hardy and Exum go to help balance roster numbers, with Hardy going into Chicago's trade exception.

Dallas gets an exciting young guard in Coby White that they can extend, they'd probably buy out Vucevic, and they can bet on a young talent in Patrick Williams while getting two firsts in years where they don't own their picks. Because of Exum's signing, he can't be traded until December 15th, though.

2. Betting on Ja Morant

Apr 18, 2025; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis (3) and Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) look on during the third quarter at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Dallas Receives: Ja Morant, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, 2027 unprotected first-round pick (via MEM), 2029 unprotected first-round pick (via ORL)
Memphis Receives: Anthony Davis, Caleb Martin

It's clear Ja Morant wants out of Memphis, and there's almost no way he could coexist in the same backcourt with Kyrie Irving once he's healthy. But the Mavericks need playmaking, and when Morant is dialed in, he's a great playmaker.

Trying to figure out Memphis' frontcourt of Davis, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Zach Edey would be interesting and intriguing, but Jackson has enough floor-spacing ability to make this partnership work. Realistically, both teams probably say no to this.

3. Dynamic Frontcourt Duo in Miami

January 15, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) shoots against Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Dallas Receives: Tyler Herro, Andrew Wiggins, Kel'El Ware, 2030 unprotected first-round pick
Miami Receivers: Anthony Davis, Caleb Martin

I'd probably like another first-round pick in return, preferably in 2026 or 2027, but that probably isn't realistic. Miami is off to a good start this season at 7-4, and that's without Tyler Herro so far. So, if they were presented with an offer good enough to move him, they may take it.

Davis would pair with Bam Adebayo to be an extremely versatile and stifling defensive frontcourt duo, and they can get Caleb Martin back, who had his best years in Miami, but that's an ugly contract (Davis' is too), which is why Dallas only gets one first back in return.

The Mavs would get another center in Kel'El Ware, meaning they'd probably have to move off of Daniel Gafford in a separate trade.

Stick with MavericksGameday for more FREE coverage of the Dallas Mavericks throughout the 2025-26 season

Follow MavericksGameday on Twitter and Austin Veazey on Twitter

More Dallas Mavericks News

Mavericks' Cooper Flagg joins Kobe Bryant for impressive feat in NBA history

NBA insider answers if Nico Harrison’s job is in jeopardy with Mavericks

Cooper Flagg drops depressing quote after Mavericks drop to 2-6 with loss to Pelicans

Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison should be embarrassed