Hours after ESPN’s Tim MacMahon reported that the Mavericks plan to explore trade scenarios for Anthony Davis, team minority owner Mark Cuban pushed back on that idea.
In an email to Joe Vardon of The Athletic, Cuban said Dallas has no intention of moving the 10-time All-Star this season.
“We won’t,” Cuban wrote when asked if he and governor Patrick Dumont would consider dealing Davis. “We want to try to win.”
Cuban remains part of the Mavs’ decision-making circle, but Dumont holds final authority on basketball matters.
That means Cuban’s stance is notable, but not necessarily definitive — especially if the 4-11 Mavericks continue to slide as the calendar moves toward the February 5 trade deadline.
Earlier in the day, MacMahon reported that multiple team sources expect Dallas to at least test the market on Davis.
According to that report, the organization is “plotting to pivot” toward a long-term future built around 18-year-old Cooper Flagg, this year’s No. 1 pick and the franchise’s clearest building block.
How far that pivot extends remains unclear. Davis is the team’s most polarizing piece — a star with a championship résumé and five All-NBA selections, but also an extensive injury history.
Since arriving in last season’s stunning Luka Doncic deal, Davis has appeared in just 25 of 48 possible regular-season games for Dallas and is currently out with a left calf strain.
Dumont has reportedly urged medical staff to take a cautious approach, holding Davis out longer than anticipated to avoid further setbacks.
The team said Sunday that Davis will be reevaluated in seven to ten days.
Davis turns 33 in March and carries a sizable contract: $54.1 million this season, $58.5 million next season, and a $62.8 million player option for 2027-28.
He will also be eligible for another extension this summer.
Despite all that, interest is expected. Whether the Mavs get the type of return they want — or whether Cuban’s stance holds if the losses pile up — is the part nobody around the league can answer yet.
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