The NBA trade season is officially heating up with questions about players like Anthony Davis, and as December rolls around, Shams Charania once again sheds light on what front offices are really talking about. With nearly the entire league becoming trade-eligible this week and executives gathering in Orlando for the annual G-League Showcase, high-stakes conversations are beginning to heat up.
“This is the informal start of having real, high-stakes conversations,” a team executive said this week, via ESPN's Shams Charania.
With the team crossing the 25-game threshold, the organization now believes they have enough evidence to decide who they are, what they need and whether it's time to buy or sell. No situation is more concerning than the future of Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis.
Charania said Davis has emerged as one of the central figures in early deadline discussions, with multiple Eastern Conference contenders preparing bids. His report details a meeting between Davis' agent, Rich Paul, and the Mavericks' interim co-general managers, Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi, that called for clarity on the team's long-term direction.
Charania said Finlay and Riccardi responded “they wanted to keep their options open and see how the team performs over the next few weeks.”
Meanwhile, rival teams are preparing their pitches. Chris Cwik of Yahoo Sports pointed out that Davis, who is averaging 19.6 points and 10.2 rebounds in 10 games this season, has interest from the Detroit Pistons, Atlanta Hawks and Toronto Raptors. He also noted that if Dallas decided to sell, Davis “would be their first choice.”
The financial risks only heighten the drama. Davis will be eligible to sign a four-year, $275 million contract extension in August. The deal will take Davis through his age-37 season, when he will earn $76 million.
Davis has a player option for the 2027-28 season, which would allow him to become a free agent at age 34 if he is not re-signed.
Elsewhere, Shams detailed that Dallas is also exploring the market for Daniel Gafford, Klay Thompson and D'Angelo Russell as their 9-16 start forces a tough internal evaluation.
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