Mavericks should've traded Anthony Davis yesterday, says ESPN NBA insider

Billy Heyen

Mavericks should've traded Anthony Davis yesterday, says ESPN NBA insider image

Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Dallas Mavericks got rid of Nico Harrison, the general manager who engineered the trade of Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Now what?

The next move, many believe, is to trade Anthony Davis and to fully build up anew around 2025 No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg.

And the time to trade Davis may have just been yesterday.

Yes, that's a bit proverbial, but the point is this: There's no time to waste.

"Every day that goes by, Dallas is losing value in AD," ESPN's Tim Bontemps said Wednesday.

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Bontemps adds that the Mavs should try to trade Kyrie Irving, too.

"The NBA is wide open right now," Bontemps said. "There is a chance to cash in on AD. The way you can maximize Cooper's career is get what you can from trading Kyrie and AD."

The tricky part of this idea is injuries.

Davis is out right now, although he's expected back on the court sooner rather than later.

Irving won't be back until sometime after the calendar flips to 2026.

Teams can trade injured players, but that comes with a lot more risk for the acquiring team.

Bontemps' point is fair, though. There are a lot of teams who likely view themselves as contenders right now. For many of them, Davis or Irving would be worthwhile pickups.

The Mavs probably can't win a title with this current roster. To give Flagg a chance down the road, trading veterans for future assets is probably the way to go.

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