NBA expert makes case for Mavericks to keep Anthony Davis amid trade rumors

Anthony Davis has been playing well. Does that mean the Mavericks should hang onto him?

Nov 28, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis (3) warms up prior to the game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Dallas Mavericks are likely going to trade Anthony Davis at some point this season, per multiple reports. He doesn't really fit the rest of the roster if he's insistent on playing power forward since he's not a great shooter, and neither are the centers the Mavericks currently have on roster.

However, the Mavericks are playing really well right now, having won 4 of the last 5 games, picking up wins over the Miami Heat, Houston Rockets, and Denver Nuggets recently. So, could they be better off keeping Davis and just seeing what they've got with this team for now? Bill Simmons of The Ringer certainly thinks so.

“There’s been a lot of AD stuff, and I know there’s a lot of trade possibilities for him. I’m not trading Anthony Davis right now. I’m keeping him," Simmons argued on his podcast. "Flagg and Davis together, I need to see this more. I’m hanging up on all calls. I just want to watch this for another month because they had too many big buys. They were playing Flagg out of position. They did him a real disservice. But now, he’s in his right spot, where he’s like a four, and now you have Gafford coming off the bench as like one more big man."

“But basically, you have a lot of Flagg and AD together. That’s like a winnable combo as my four, five. I think that’s really hard to deal with, really hard to deal with defensively. It’s great for Flagg. I’m not f****n’ with that."

Dec 1, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis (3) in the fourth quarter against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

READ MORE: Kevin Durant praises Cooper Flagg after Mavericks upset Rockets

Why the Mavericks Need to Trade Anthony Davis

Respectfully, Bill Simmons is wrong. The Mavericks need to trade Anthony Davis as soon as there's a good enough offer. Yes, one could argue that the Mavericks are playing better right now, but how is their ceiling, even fully healthy? A playoff berth to lose in the first round?

What's more likely: Anthony Davis getting hurt and not being able to play in the postseason, or making the second round of the playoffs? It's probably him getting hurt, just given his injury history. He's playing mostly well right now, and the Mavericks only own their 2026 first-round pick before not having any control over their picks from 2027 to 2030. They have to recoup that value somehow, and Davis isn't getting any younger or more durable.

Plus, once Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II are fully healthy, Davis will want to play power forward. And that's just not going to work in this day and age of the NBA.

READ MORE: Mavericks might make sense for Giannis Antetokounmpo trade

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