Mavericks' Anthony Davis trade plan hides a disastrous twist

The 2025-26 NBA season can be summed up in a few short words for everyone involved with the Dallas Mavericks: It's been chaotic. Not only did the fanbase and home atmosphere essentially force the Mavericks to fire Nico Harrison, but as they bridge the gap between the Cooper Flagg era and the Luka Doncic era, the team is looking to head into a new direction under their new 18-year-old leadership with a new general manager.

While the general manager search has led the Mavericks to make some fan-favorite moves, such as promoting both Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi to be interim co-GMs, a recent report from ESPN's Shams Charania points to the team not hiring a new general manager until the offseason.

"Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont has taken a patient approach since firing general manager Nico Harrison," Charania reported. "A GM search is still expected in the offseason, and Finley and Riccardi are expected to be candidates, sources said."

Mavs are making a mistake by not hiring a general manager in-season

No doubt starting clean when it comes to the head decision-maker spot was the smartest move possible for the franchise, but as the Mavericks look to trade away some key players like Anthony Davis this season, it is almost paramount that they hire a general manager in the middle of the season, despite the backlash it might cause in the hiring process.

Hiring a new GM now would allow them to call the shots when it comes to potentially trading players like Anthony Davis, Daniel Gafford, Klay Thompson, and D'Angelo Russell, and they'd immediately know what they'd be working with when it comes to the assets they have for the first few years of their new job. With Dallas waiting, their new general manager could end up being someone who had no say in any of the massive trades they made this season (if they hire externally), and this is the last thing that they should want.

For the Mavericks, they must take their time and hire the correct decision-maker, someone they believe can help them win a championship with Flagg at the helm. However, almost just as important as making the right hire is extracting the correct value from players who don't fit the franchise's timeline. There is no doubt that it will be a tedious process, but decisions can't be made until a lockdown hire at the general manager position can be put in place.

Making the right hire for Dallas' general manager opening should be priority one and two for the Mavericks when it comes to branching into a new era. While it would be easy to throw out names and give an explanation as to why the Mavs should favor this candidate over another, all signs are pointing to the Mavericks waiting until the offseason to hire a full-time GM

As with any move, there are pros and cons; however, it's really important that the team doesn't walk into another trap and trade players like Davis or Gafford before it's too late. Extracting the most amount of future value and setting Flagg up for a fruitful future should be one of the priorities when it comes to long-term success, and by not hiring a general manager before trading away valuable veteran players, the Mavs are only shooting themselves in the foot.

With Finley, Riccardi, Mark Cuban, Patrick Dumont, and Jason Kidd as the leaders of the front office, the Mavericks can go over all positives and negatives to a trade, but not having a set philosophy with one person making the decisions will only hurt the long-term value of the team. Many fans are still haunted by the Harrison era with the Mavericks, and it appears that Dumont is too, which is why he is taking a patient approach, but in such a critical time, the Mavericks can't afford to make mistakes.

Creating outside noise with the regular season going along is never the correct approach, but after firing Harrison, the team instantly forgoes any chance at a normal season. All eyes will be on the Mavericks as they eye a potentially franchise-altering trade deadline season, with it being headlined by Davis and his value around the league.

It seems likely that Davis will be moved over the next few months, and the fact that next year's GM may not be the one making the trade is an accident waiting to happen. After all, Davis is the centerpiece of the Luka Doncic trade, and the Mavericks' rebuild around Flagg could be centered around some of the pieces that Dallas nets in this deal.