One big domino fell on Monday for the Dallas Mavericks when owner Patrick Dumont fired team president Nico Harrison amid a 3-8 start to the season.
More News: Mavericks Owner Sends Clear Message to Fans After Firing Nico Harrison One Month Into Season
Another could be coming in the near future.
Harrison had been under fire in Dallas since he traded superstar Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers before the trade deadline in February. In return for Doncic, the Mavs received Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick.
The trade is widely considered to be one of the worst in NBA history. While Davis is a great player in his own right and a 10-time All-Star, the 32-year-old is nowhere near the building block Doncic is as a 26-year-old guard.
More news: Lakers Linked to Blockbuster Trade for $54 Million Mavericks Big Man
Immediately following news of Harrison’s firing, chatter about the future of Davis in Dallas started to heat up.
Per Tim MacMahon of ESPN, the NBA world believes trading Davis is the right move for Dallas to build around rookie forward Cooper Flagg, something he doesn’t believe could have happened if Harrison kept his job.
“The biggest question regarding Davis at this point is not about when he will return from his calf strain,” McMahon wrote. “It’s about whether the organization will consider exploring the trade market for the 32-year-old big man, which would never have been a remote possibility with Harrison running basketball operations.
“It’s a path that several executives and scouts from other franchises believe would be logical for the Mavs as Dallas pivots to prioritize building around Flagg. The Mavs have built-in challenges in that mission due to giving up control of their first-round picks from 2027 through 2030 in trades made while successfully building a contender around Doncic.”
MacMahon noted that Davis’ long injury history could impede trading the star. He’s missed six games in a row with a strained left calf.
Fans on X believe the move should happen, as “Trade AD” was trending on Tuesday afternoon.
“Obviously, yes, the Mavs should now look to trade AD and Klay now for players more on Flagg’s timeline,” wrote a fan. “Kyrie should be welcome to stay if he wants. I would offer him the choice. He’s earned that. Few players have ever done as much for a franchise in such a short amount of time.”
“Trade AD and build around Flagg ASAP,” posted another.
“Keep Irving . Trade AD for whatever Mavs can get,” argued a fan.
It’ll be interesting to see if the Mavs decide to pull the plug on the experiment with Davis and make a trade before the deadline on Feb. 13. Any return for Davis won’t be close to what the Lakers received last season.
The Mavs next host the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night.
For more on the Mavericks and the NBA, head to Newsweek Sports.