Mavericks must exploit this 'civil war' to finally move on from Anthony Davis

It's no secret the Dallas Mavericks are rumored to explore the trade market for Anthony Davis, and while their first priority should be getting Davis healthy and on the court again, the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons could be a team Dallas could look at for a Davis trade, as they have intriguing young assets such as guard Jaden Ivey.

Of course, the Mavericks would need more compensation than just Ivey to make the deal work, and there would likely have to be multiple other teams involved to make such a trade work, but Ivey's re-insertion into Detroit's lineup has prompted a "civil war" between Pistons fans on X and social media. Ivey just returned to the Pistons' lineup for the past three games, as he had arthroscopic right knee surgery following an injury in preseason, subsequently missing Detroit's first 15 games this season.

This was a tough blow for a potential-filled 23-year-old guard in Ivey, as he missed the remainder of last regular season as well, following a broken left fibula on January 1. The Pistons (15-3) aren't in any position to make an immediate trade, but the ascension of two-way signee Daniss Jenkins has prompted online discussion from Pistons fans over whether it's worth keeping another guard like Ivey in the rotation, or if they should move off him to fill other areas of their roster.

Mavericks could try and trade Davis to Pistons for Ivey and other assets

Pistons big man Jalen Duren is proving to be one of the most dynamic centers in the entire association, so the Pistons aren't in some position where they need someone like Davis to take them over the top. However, given an already strong foundation on both sides of the ball, Davis could make Detroit's defense impenetrable if head coach J.B. Bickerstaff could figure out the offensive fit with two non-shooting bigs on the floor.

The Pistons are obviously the first seed in the conference, so they aren't currently in a situation to trade for an injured Davis whatsoever, but if Jenkins continues to prove himself as a valuable rotation player, the Pistons could seriously explore trading Ivey for more help up front, as the Pistons already have a very deep guard rotation.

This would give Ivey an opportunity to blossom in a more featured role in Dallas, as he could potentially become the point guard of the future once Kyrie Irving leaves, whereas he'll have to sacrifice some on-ball reps playing next to someone like Cade Cunningham in Detroit. Again, the financial logistics of this deal make it so that Dallas would need far more salary coming back to them if they traded Davis to Detroit or a third team.

However, this is definitely something to monitor with Dallas needing a point guard for the future alongside Flagg, as well as Davis' future with the Mavericks seeming up in the air for now. Don't expect this trade or any Davis-related trade to happen tomorrow, but it's something the Mavericks will inevitably have to consider if they are still around the bottom of the West once the trade deadline approaches.