<\/p>\n
It seems Mavericks\u2019 governor Patrick Dumont is the one calling the shots for when Anthony Davis will return to the court as trade talk swirls around the 10-time All-Star.<\/p>\n
And could we see Davis join forces with Aussie star Josh Giddey at the Chicago Bulls?<\/p>\n
Davis has been sidelined with a left calf strain that saw him miss a seventh consecutive game on Wednesday (US time), and ESPN reported that Davis won\u2019t return until Dumont gives the OK. <\/p>\n
Watch NBA with ESPN on Kayo Sports | Stream an average 9 LIVE Regular Season games per week plus the best of the NBA Playoffs.| New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.<\/a><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n The Mavericks owner asked for medical data showing that the 10-time All-Star will not risk aggravating his injury if he plays before green-lighting any return, according to the report.<\/p>\n The concern right now appears to be that Davis could suffer a severe injury if he is not entirely healed, similar to what happened to Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton last season during the NBA Finals, when he went down with an Achilles tear.<\/p>\n Davis, 32, originally aimed to return to the court on Nov. 8 against the Wizards, but Johann Bilsborough, the Mavericks\u2019 director of health and performance, and Davis\u2019 personal medical staff differed in their opinions on that.<\/p>\n Dumont went with the team\u2019s medical staff\u2019s opinion, and Davis sat out that game.<\/p>\n According to ESPN, Dumont\u2019s increased involvement with the decision-making process over Davis showed the disintegrating trust he had with former general manager Nico Harrison. <\/p>\n Harrison, who was reportedly in favour of Davis returning earlier, was fired Tuesday, nine months after completing the trade that sent Luka Doncic to the Lakers for Davis.<\/p>\n Davis was the centrepiece in the deal on the Mavericks\u2019 side of the February trade that shook the NBA universe.<\/p>\n He\u2019s also been sidelined more than he\u2019s actually suited up for the Mavericks since the trade.<\/p>\n There\u2019s been ample conversation around the possibility of Davis getting put on the trade block following Harrison\u2019s dismissal, so the 3-9 team can build around No. 1 draft pick Cooper Flagg moving forward.<\/p>\n \u201cI can tell you teams are already having internal conversations, like: \u2018What would the price point be? What do we think their price point is going to be?\u2019 Obviously this is like shellshock time for the Mavericks, they have a new front office, I don\u2019t think anything is really going on,\u201d NBA Insider Zach Lowe said on The<\/a><\/i>Zach Lowe Show<\/a><\/i>.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s before December 15, when the free agents signed over the summer can\u2019t be traded. Really, it\u2019s impossible to make anything happen, there is going to be time.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s early, there\u2019s no hard intel yet … (but) there\u2019s going to be Anthony Davis trade talks of some seriousness.<\/p>\n \u201cWhether they result in a deal or not, it\u2019s impossible to say. I would bet on yes.\u201d<\/p>\n So which teams could pursue a Davis trade?<\/p>\n NBA reporter Evan Sidery revealed the Bulls are \u201ca team to monitor\u201d for Davis<\/a>, who\u2019s from Chicago, given they have close to $90 million in expiring contracts and all their picks. <\/p>\n He suggested a deal built around Coby White, Nikola Vucevic and picks could make sense for both parties.<\/p>\n Lowe ran through several potential suitors for Davis including Giddey\u2019s improved 6-5 Bulls, who\u2019ve dropped four games in a row \u2014 including their last two without the injured Aussie \u2014 after a 6-1 start.<\/p>\n SGA outplays Doncic in OKC win | 00:45<\/p>\n Though Lowe noted the potential downside of how swapping floor-stretching centre Vucevic (averaging 1.8 three-pointers on 44 per cent shooting) for Davis (0.6 three-pointers on 27 per cent shooting) could clog up the paint for Giddey, in the midst of a true breakout season, and impact Chicago\u2019s offence at large.<\/p>\n \u201cVooch\u2019s (Vucevic) shooting goes up and down, but the way he plays clears the paint for Giddey, and Davis doesn\u2019t play like that,\u201d Lowe continued.<\/p>\n \u201cSo this Giddey freight train to the rim is going to be trickier in that sense.<\/p>\n \u201cBut the Bulls have good cap flexibility going forward, this would almost be a free agency signing for them. You could sell me on it.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s an identity change midstream during a happy time for a franchise that hasn\u2019t had many in the last five to 10 years. But you could sell me on it.\u201d<\/p>\n Lowe added that Giddey would ideally play alongside a \u201ctheory of Kristaps Porzingis\u201d big, who has shooting range but can also defend the rim.<\/p>\n \u201cGiddey needs the paint to do what he\u2019s doing now,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cBut NBA players are also very malleable. They\u2019re super talented and kind of adapt to circumstances.<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe Giddey having carte blanche over the paint is good for a certain amount of wins and not for as many wins as you should really want to aspire to. Time will tell this season.\u201d<\/p>\n Crucially, the Mavericks own their 2026 first-round draft pick, but don\u2019t have control of any of their other first-rounders until 2031.<\/p>\n NBA insider Marc Stein said wrote that \u201cit\u2019s certainly possible\u201d Davis will be made available to other teams between now and the February 5 trade deadline.<\/p>\n \u201cThere has been no suggestion in the immediate aftermath of Harrison\u2019s ouster that he would try to force his exit just because Harrison, who openly loved him and wanted to build around him, has abruptly been dismissed,\u201d Stein said on his Substack<\/a>.<\/p>\n He added: \u201cIt\u2019s believed the Mavericks will work with Davis\u2019 camp over the next two-plus months as they decide whether to pursue an in-season trade. Davis\u2019 agent Rich Paul and Mavericks owner Patrick Dumont have established a relationship that features regular contact since they were introduced at the Mavericks\u2019 Play-In Tournament victory in Sacramento in April.\u201d<\/p>\n New meaning to ‘ankle breaker’ phrase | 00:35<\/p>\n Yahoo Sports\u2019 Kevin O\u2019Connor called for the Mavericks to clean house to boost their 2026 lottery odds given it\u2019s their \u201clast chance\u201d to get access to a high-end young star.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Mavericks have to blow it up and tank their butts off to increase their odds of landing a top pick in a loaded 2026 NBA Draft class. They have to trade Anthony Davis. They have to trade Kyrie Irving once he\u2019s healthy. They have to trade Klay Thompson and Megan Thee Stallion. They have to trade D\u2019Angelo Russell. And field calls on the younger vets like P.J. Washington, Caleb Martin, Daniel Gafford, and Naji Marshall. Everyone except for Cooper Flagg should be on the block,\u201d O\u2019Connor wrote<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Mavs have their own first in 2026, then don\u2019t have the rights to their own pick again until 2031 (the Thunder can swap with them in 2028 and the Spurs can in 2030). So this is effectively their last chance to land in the lottery and find a co-star for Flagg.\u201d<\/p>\n Davis has played in a grand total of 16 games, which includes two play-in games, since he arrived in Dallas.<\/p>\n The five-time All-NBA selection dealt with an abdominal injury when he was traded as part of the earth-shattering move and was quick to return in time for his new team\u2019s first home game, only to suffer a related adductor strain during a Feb. 8 win.<\/p>\n Davis in the first year of a three-year, $175 million deal (AUD $268 million) that has a player option in the final 2027\/28 season. He\u2019s eligible for a three-year extension worth around $218 million next off-season.<\/p>\n -Parts of this story appeared in the New York Post<\/a> and were reproduced with permission.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n