Mavericks' Anthony Davis trade fiasco teeters on the brink of disaster

The Anthony Davis saga has been in a constant state of flux for the Dallas Mavericks over the last few days, but the Mavericks appeared to have dodged a bullet after a second opinion on Davis' hand negated the need for surgery, with his left finger sprain due to heal in around the next six weeks per Mavericks PR. The Mavericks could very well still trade Davis ahead of the deadline, but if they don't, shutting down Davis for the rest of the season is in their best interest.

If Davis can actually return within six weeks, this would slate his return toward the end of February or early March, which would still give him roughly a month-and-a-half of basketball left for the season. If he's on another team by that point, he'd obviously be engaged in trying to get back in peak form ahead of the playoffs, but there's little to no chance of Dallas being in a position to push for the playoffs at that point in the season.

Unless the Mavericks miraculously defy the odds over the next month with how well they play, they can't risk Davis getting re-injured down the stretch of the season if he's still on the team past the trade deadline, as this would make it almost impossible to trade him during the summer, especially if the injury was severe.

Why Dallas must shut down Anthony Davis if he isn't traded

This is obviously a delicate situation for the Mavericks to balance, but there's definitely a real scenario where the Mavericks don't trade Davis ahead of the deadline. The best package they could get for him could be strictly expiring contracts, and his value could increase somewhat by the summer if he gets fully healthy by that point.

Obviously, the best-case scenario in terms of milking the most out of Davis' contract would be if he came back down the stretch of the season and had some monster games for Dallas while staying on the floor till the end of the regular season, as this could increase his value a ton by the summer. However, Davis has been more injury-riddled in Dallas than at any other point in his career, and he's always been an injury-prone player, so this option is simply too risky despite the potential reward.

It's debatable whether Dallas should trade Davis ahead of the deadline or not, as trading him during the summer could end up being a wealthier proposition for the Mavericks, even if that means Davis has already played his last game in a Mavericks uniform. Dallas desperately needs to get out of the Davis business, considering his health and fit on the team currently, but this can't come at the expense of settling for a horrendous return package.

If Davis wouldn't agree to be shut down for the rest of the year in the event the Mavericks don't find a trade for him before February 5, they may be forced into trading him at that point, as Davis could become a negative asset in the summer if he suffers another injury later this season. However, if Davis were willing to sit out the rest of the season in that scenario, this would serve the Mavericks well in terms of bettering their draft lottery odds and increasing Davis' trade value.