Anthony Davis missed his 14th game of the season last night and the Dallas Mavericks suffered yet another loss, dropping to 5–14 and 14th in the Western Conference. The Miami Heat were simply too much for Jason Kidd's squad and the noise around a potential full rebuild is getting louder with every defeat.

The season is still long enough for things to turn around, especially if AD can stay healthy once he returns and Kyrie Irving comes back after the New Year. Still, from this position, it is hard to believe that Davis, leading a team put together with a now-former GM, Nico Harrison's vision, will somehow result in a Larry O'Brien trophy.

That's why Davis could end up being moved even before the end of this season. But ESPN's Tim Bontemps doubts there will be many teams willing to gamble on a 32-year-old power forward with that kind of financial baggage.

"I shouldn't say it's not gonna happen… but when you talk to people around the league, there's not a lot of teams lining up to take on a 35-year-old Anthony Davis making $63 million and you have to assume he's gonna opt into that deal," Bontemps said on "The Hoop Collective" podcast.

AD has a huge contract over the next three seasons

The Kentucky product will earn $57.6 million this season, $62.2 million next season, and $66.2 million in 2026–27 as the final year is a player option. And while Davis is still attractive to many teams around the league, especially after the last few seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers where he's been relatively healthy, this season has again pushed doubt to the surface.

There's no question that when healthy, AD is arguably a Top 10 player in the league and, for many, the best two-way player in the world. But history has made it very clear that gambling on aging stars outside their prime is rarely smart team-building.

John Wall is one of the more recent examples, as he was still being paid huge guaranteed money even after he stopped playing. The Houston Rockets ultimately completed a buyout, paying him around $41 million of the remaining $47.4 million and stretching the rest as dead cap.

Davis does not necessarily face retirement due to injuries, but even this level of inconsistency is enough to stall any team's ambitions. And as long as Dallas has Cooper Flagg developing, it's unclear how willing the franchise would be to gamble on Davis during the crucial first years of their young star and the same logic applies to any other team considering taking on that contract. All of that led Wall himself to believe a trade could still happen, potentially even to the Chicago Bulls.

"You know injuries are part of the game… that's been AD's kryptonite most of his career. I wish he was healthy so they could see what they have and wait for Kyrie to come back. But at this point, I don't want to speak for him, but he probably wants to move forward. You've been hearing he wants to go back to Chicago and see what's going on" the Washington Wizards icon said.

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AD still hasn't publicly spoken after Harrison's firing

That will be a major factor in how this saga unfolds, as we still haven't heard how Davis feels about his name being thrown around like he isn't an NBA champion, an Olympic gold medalist and a 10-time All-Star.

If the 6-foot-10 center truly wants to step out from under the dark cloud hanging over Dallas, it will be interesting to see what he prioritizes when choosing his next destination. And who knows, maybe he uses all of this as fuel to prove he can still lead an NBA franchise to a championship.

Related: Kendrick Perkins explains why Anthony Davis should demand to be traded to Philadelphia: “Davis to the 76ers makes all the sense in the world”

This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Nov 26, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.