Dallas Mavericks expected to explore trades for key veterans, including Anthony Davis

This season hasn't gone the way the Dallas Mavericks expected, even though they're showing signs of life recently. They enter the NBA Cup week off with a 9-16 record, but they have won four of the last five, with wins over the Miami Heat, Denver Nuggets, and Houston Rockets, which are all good victories.

But how is the ceiling, realistically? If it's anything less than at least a Conference Semifinals appearance, they need to think about the future around Cooper Flagg and sell on some veterans. And that could be exactly what they're doing.

According to ESPN's NBA insider Shams Charania, the Mavericks are expected to explore trades for multiple key veterans on the team.

"The Mavericks are open to exploring the trade markets for Anthony Davis, center Daniel Gafford, and guards Klay Thompson and D'Angelo Russell, sources said," Charania started.

"...Thompson, who joined Dallas during free agency in July 2024, was sold on joining the Mavericks to play alongside Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving on a team coming off a run to the Finals. With Doncic gone and the franchise winning at a below-.500 clip, teams across the league know Thompson prefers to be part of a contender over the remaining two years of his three-year, $50 million deal. After a slow start to the season, the four-time champion is averaging 12.8 points per game on 39.5% 3-point shooting in his past 10 games while holding opponents to 38.5% shooting as their closest defender, which ranks 10th out of 120 guards to defend 50-plus shots since the stretch began."

Dec 6, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis (3) handles the ball during the third quarter against the Houston Rockets at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images | Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images

Mavericks Shouldn't Stop There With Trades

Realistically, the only players on this roster who are safe moving forward this year are Cooper Flagg, Kyrie Irving, P.J. Washington, and maybe Dereck Lively II. Once Ryan Nembhard becomes a standard contract, he'll be safe, too.

Washington's contract extension makes him ineligible to be traded until after the season. Naji Marshall should probably be included there as well, but if the right offer comes across the table, no one should be safe.

And that could go for Dereck Lively II, but his injuries could have teams around the NBA concerned. It's clear he doesn't have the same type of impact without a superstar point guard setting the table for him, and he's only played in about 50% of the games he's been available.

Dallas should definitely focus on trying to clear the books of Caleb Martin and Jaden Hardy, as their contracts could really hold the team down in the future, considering how little they play.

One could argue that Kyrie Irving could be shopped, but they've made it clear that they want to build around Irving and Flagg for the next few years.

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