Anthony Davis is back on the trade block, but the Mavericks face a major catch

The Dallas Mavericks are exploring trading Anthony Davis before the trade deadline, but it comes with a complicated catch that may make or break Dallas' efforts to move on from their star big man.

The Mavericks can't trade Davis this season unless he can keep up this high level of play for the next few months, and his performance from now until February 5 could determine if Dallas keeps him or sends him packing. Teams want to see that he can remain fully healthy and play well over a long stretch of time before giving up an arm and a leg to bring him in, and on top of this, the Mavericks also have the option of standing pat and pushing for the playoffs with Davis at the head of the snake.

They aren't fully set on trading Davis, according to recent rumblings, as the possibility of giving him an extension has been discussed by the Mavericks' top brass.

An Anthony Davis trade is more complicated than it seems for Dallas

Dallas isn't fully sure if they want to keep Davis or enter a full rebuild around Cooper Flagg, and their stance on trading him or sticking it out will all depend on the next 58 days. The Mavericks could string together some wins and solidify themselves as playoff hopefuls, but they could also drop a couple of games in a row and slip back down to the bottom of the West.

Dallas is 9-16 on the year and is the No. 11 seed in a stacked Western Conference. They are just a half-game back from being in the Play-In Tournament, but they are also 2.5 games from being the 14th seed in their conference. There is still plenty of time to decide what direction they want to go in, and whatever they decide to do with Davis could dramatically change what the end of their season looks like.

Every day that passes puts Davis at risk of suffering another serious injury, but it also gives him the chance to prove that he is more than capable of leading a team on a deep playoff run. There are pros and cons to Davis playing right now, but the pros should outweigh the cons if they get deep in the playoff hunt or end up trading him.

Eastern Conference playoff teams such as the Detroit Pistons, Atlanta Hawks, and Toronto Raptors are all showing interest in Davis, and he has put forth a solid dress rehearsal since returning from a calf strain at the end of last month. He has been a monster as the Mavericks' starting center with Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford battling injuries, and teams are getting a good look at how dominant Davis can be when he's at his best and in good shape.

Since returning, Davis is averaging 18.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 0.8 steals, and 2.0 blocks per game while shooting 52.6 percent from the field and 40.0 percent from beyond the arc. He has looked like a totally different player from the one we saw at the beginning of the season, and he needs to continue to stack these good performances on top of each other if the Mavericks want to be able to trade him for good value in return this season.

Dallas can't afford to just accept any offer for Davis, as he remains one of the best bigs in the NBA when fully healthy, and they have to be strategic with the way that they go about things. If they trade him, they need to get a plethora of draft capital and young players to go along with some expiring contracts, and this should be a possibility if he continues to play at an all-star level.

The Mavericks are clearly open to the idea of trading Davis, but it comes with the catch of him staying healthy over the next two months and producing. If he can do this, Dallas may find themselves with a gaudy trade return from a borderline contender in exchange for their two-way star.

If not, they'll either be stuck with him or have to accept a lackluster trade offer. And both of those outcomes are not ideal.