Anthony Davis pushes back on rumored 'lie' threatening his Mavericks future

After the latest injury report from Shams Charania about Anthony Davis and his left hand, the Dallas Mavericks' big man is now pushing back over reports that he needs surgery, and is even going as far as social media to correct what he calls a "lie."

Charania was the first to report that Davis would need to undergo surgery to repair ligament damage in his left hand, which would cause him to miss several months. Sources had already told ESPN that Davis would probably need surgery, and Davis pushed back.

Davis didn't waste any time going to X after the report was public, but even if he doesn't need surgery, he will still miss a significant amount of time. Things have reached dumpster fire territory in Dallas, but fans have already made up their mind on Davis' future. Even if he does come back earlier than expected, fans don't expect him to be on the court for long.

Anthony Davis could still return this season — even if he needs surgery

NBA reporter Marc Stein helped clear up that statement made by Davis. Stein reported that there is some optimism that Davis could return in March, even if he does undergo surgery. Fans at this point know that the Mavs' season is pretty much toast, and it wouldn't really do any good for Dallas to play him in March.

If Stein's report is true, then that's a green light for the Mavs to trade him in-season. This is also the best excuse for the Mavs not to give Davis an extension this upcoming summer, but even before his latest injury, we all knew it would've been a huge disaster. Fans have grown tired of Davis' long injury history in a short time. Most fans respect him for who he is as a player, but they know it's time to move on.

This has to be one of the weirder seasons in Mavericks history, as the team has gone from Nico Harrison's firing to Davis being injured once again. Now, he's going after the media, saying that he either won't need surgery or that his injury won't be season-ending.

Although it first seemed like Davis was saying that the report about him needing surgery was a lie, it seems like he is saying that the injury won't keep him out for the remainder of the season. Even if he gets surgery, he could still come back to get some court time this season.

The base-case scenario for Dallas would be to trade Davis to a playoff team during the regular season, as this would allow some team to give him reps before the playoffs start. The Mavericks may not get the draft capital or pieces they want exactly, but the Mavs need to get extremely desperate to move Davis at this point.

The Mavs' season was long over before this debacle, but there's still some good that can come out of this report. Obviously, nobody is rooting for Davis to get injured, but if he still gets traded for some draft capital, it could still be worth it.

The best players are always your available ones, and Davis has not been that since being traded for the five-time All-Star Luka Doncic. It would be best for the Mavericks to move on as soon as they can, and Davis missing the rest of the season being a "lie" would only help them in their efforts to trade him.