Mark Cuban’s Anthony Davis trade stance shaken by Shams Charania scoop

Sami Haider

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Mark Cuban’s Anthony Davis trade stance shaken by Shams Charania scoop image

Now halfway through the NBA season, Antony Davis' trade talk is increasingly getting attention as the Dallas Mavericks sit at 13th position in the Western Conference with a 4-12 record. But minority owner Mark Cuban has made it clear that they are not trading AD.

Meanwhile, NBA insider Shams Charania delivered a report that directly contradicts Cuban’s stance. If Charania's report is accurate, then the front office appears to be rethinking its short-term championship ambitions.

Mavericks reportedly listening to trade calls for Anthony Davis

The Mavericks’ season has been a mess at this point in the season. They’ve lost 12 of their first 16 games, fired GM Nico Harrison, and watched their supposed title window collapse. 

Rookie Cooper Flagg has been the lone bright spot and everything else is just disturbed. Without Davis, they’ve offered little resistance against opponents since he went out with a calf strain.

Since the 32-year-old is not helping the team much right now, there has been a lot of trade buzz surrounding him. But Cuban, in an email to The Athletic, publicly shut down the idea on Wednesday. He said, “We won’t. We want to try to win.” The front office wants to see how Davis looks next to Flagg before making a decision, but they’re already fielding calls.

After Cuban’s email, ESPN’s Charania came out with a completely different report while speaking on the latest NBA Countdown. He said, “The Mavericks will be listening to trade calls for Anthony Davis and seeing and exploring his value.”

He added that the team is pivoting away from the short-term title window built under former general manager and toward a longer-term vision centered around Flagg.

Charania also emphasized that Davis’ health will be a major factor -- not just for Dallas to assess his long-term fit, but also for potential suitors to evaluate his trade value. While Davis has shown flashes of dominance when healthy, his availability remains doubtful. 

The contrast between Cuban’s straight-cut denial and Charania’s sourced report underscores a possible disconnect between public messaging and internal strategy. However, with the NBA trade deadline still months away, the Mavericks appear to be keeping their both options open.

Quite frankly, when the stats show that the Mavericks’ win rate plummets without Davis, then Cuban’s remarks seem justified, suggesting that they will make the rebuild plan around AD, not without him.

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Contributing Writer