Convincing the Dallas Mavericks to be sellers with NBA trade season open

The NBA's unofficial trade season tipped off on Monday, December 15th, which is the first day that most players who signed contracts this offseason can be traded, and any player traded either on Monday or Tuesday will be re-eligible to be traded on the day of the trade deadline (February 5th). That means some moves could happen in the next 36 hours or so.

The Dallas Mavericks are one of many teams expected to gauge trade interest in a few different players, but especially veterans Anthony Davis, Daniel Gafford, Klay Thompson, and D'Angelo Russell. But the Mavericks seem more interested in competing this season, which is a mistake.

Zach Harper of The Athletic put every team into tiers based on what they should do for trades this season, and he says the Mavericks should be "sellers for lottery night."

"Dereck Lively II is out for the season, but I don’t think that will stop them from shopping guys such as Daniel Gafford or even Anthony Davis," Harper wrote. "Publicly, they can claim to be about winning, but this is a bad team that needs to build around Cooper Flagg. They also have their first-round pick before it likely goes to Charlotte in 2027. Expect the Mavs to look to improve those lottery odds while also getting more assets and flexibility."

The first-round pick being owed to the Hornets in 2027 is just the beginning of it. Their 2028 first is owed to the OKC Thunder as part of a pick swap, their 2029 first was traded to the Brooklyn Nets (was later sent to the Houston Rockets) as part of the Kyrie Irving trade, and their 2030 first is a pick swap with the San Antonio Spurs.

Dec 12, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis (3) runs back up the court during the game between the Mavericks and the Nets at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Cooper Flagg Has to be the Mavericks' Biggest Priority

As much as the Mavericks want to contend right now, that's unrealistic given the build of the roster. Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving are only getting older, and they already don't have the best history with injuries. Keeping Irving makes sense, as he's clearly never been happier since being traded to Dallas, but Davis doesn't fit with anything about the roster.

If trade offers come through for Davis or any other player not named Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving that involve first-round picks from 2026 to 2030, they need to seriously consider them. They need to find other young players to put alongside Cooper Flagg and let them grow together. The only other young pieces on the roster right now are Ryan Nembhard (on a two-way contract) and Dereck Lively II, whose future is unknown because of injuries.

Any chance of competing in the future likely comes from shedding some salaries off the books, getting more first-round picks, and making good use of those picks in the coming drafts.

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 finally admit mistake in trading Luka Doncic to Lakers, fire Nico Harrison

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

Mark Cuban says how 'painful' it is with Luka Doncic on Lakers instead of Mavericks

Mavericks already pushing for former executive to be Nico Harrison replacement