The situation surrounding Anthony Davis has become one of the most delicate storylines heading into the February 5th trade deadline.
With a lingering hand injury and long-term contract questions looming, both Davis’ camp and the Dallas Mavericks are navigating competing priorities, and neither side appears eager to blink.
Davis, who opted against surgery and is sidelined until at least late February, remains under contract but without clarity on an extension.
His agent, Rich Paul, is reportedly motivated to resolve that uncertainty sooner rather than later, even if it means a trade before the deadline, as reported by ESPN’s Tim MacMahon.
“It is very clear that Rich Paul, who represents Anthony Davis, wants Anthony Davis traded before the deadline,” MacMahon said on Wednesday’s Hoop Collective Podcast. “And why would he want that? Because he believes it’s in his best business interest. Because he has taken a ‘We’ll see’ from the Mavericks regarding an extension as a ‘no’. And there are teams where clearly Rich Paul considers it likely that AD would get the kind of extension that he’s looking for when he becomes eligible in August.
“The Mavericks were going to explore the trade market regardless. They have been. This is ongoing. They do not feel like they have to trade Anthony Davis. They are telling me and anybody who will listen that they’re not trading AD just to make a deal. They don’t feel like they have to unload him.”
“‘Rich Paul is not going to bully us.’ That is a direct quote from a member of the Mavericks organization.”
Financially, Davis is owed $58.5 million next season and holds a player option worth $62.8 million for the 2027–28 campaign.
While the Mavericks remain open to conversations, MacMahon made clear their goal is value, not urgency.
“They are motivated to make a good Anthony Davis deal. Not just an Anthony Davis where ‘we have to get off him,’ MacMahon added.’”
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