Mavericks have no choice but to trade key player due to Anthony Davis' obsession

After Nico Harrison traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers at the beginning of February, the Dallas Mavericks' Anthony Davis era officially began. This isn't something that Mavs fans could have ever expected, as Doncic was the star of the show in Dallas ever since he got drafted, and Davis' start to his time in Dallas couldn't have gone worse.

In his first game with the team, Davis went down with an adductor strain that sidelined him for 18 games in a row, and Harrison's plan to contend for a title immediately with Davis and Kyrie Irving leading the way crumbled, as Davis missed significant time and Irving later tore his ACL.

This was a nightmare scenario for Dallas, and even though they didn't make it out of the Play-In Tournament, Davis showed some promise once he returned from injury for the final stretch of the season. Davis finished with 40 points and nine rebounds while shooting 16-29 from the field in Dallas' play-in loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, and this huge performance helped lay a great foundation to head into next season.

Davis may force Mavericks to pick between Lively II and Gafford

Davis was finishing everything around the rim, and his floater looked incredible. While these types of performances show how dangerous he can be when he's in the zone, the Mavericks also have a hard decision to make when it comes to their roster construction around Davis this summer.

For years, Davis has been set on playing power forward rather than center. Some could even say it's an obsession, and he believes that the power forward position brings out the best in him rather than center.

This dates back to his time with the Lakers, as he wanted them to acquire a true five to play alongside him last season, but they never did, and he spent significant time at the five. He likes to be able to roam free defensively while not being forced to protect the rim all the time, and while the positives of him playing the four on defense are there, it's a different story on the other end of the floor.

With the Mavericks having a rim roller on the floor next to Davis at all times (Dereck Lively II or Daniel Gafford), it significantly limits their spacing and clogs up the paint since Lively II and Gafford can't stretch the floor.

For the 2024-25 season, the Mavericks were 26th in the NBA with just 12.4 made threes per game. This number dropped to 9.2 made threes per game after Davis returned from injury on March 24, and the Mavericks were last in the NBA in threes made per game from March 24 until the end of the regular season.

This is a major problem that the Mavs must address in the offseason, and it could mean the end of the line for either Lively II or Gafford. Dallas can't expect to win a title while being one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the NBA, and in order for them to improve in this area, they could explore trading for a floor-stretching big to replace Gafford or Lively II.

Their current roster was built around Luka Doncic, and while the two bigs idea looks amazing on paper, it doesn't work without elite playmakers sharing the floor with them. The paint and mid-range area is way too crowded when Davis is on the floor with Lively II or Gafford, and since Davis likes playing the four so much, the only way to get the team back to shooting more threes is to consider moving one of the centers for a stretch big.

They can't expect to win in today's NBA with the shooting they have on the roster right now, and a huge step in the right direction would be to add a big man who can step outside and drill threes when needed to play alongside Davis at times. Dallas could still experiment with playing Davis next to either Lively II or Gafford (whichever one they trade in this hypothetical situation), but they'd have the option to bring in a center who is a threat from outside to mix things up and open up the floor for Davis when needed as well.