Mavericks set clear-cut asks for an Anthony Davis trade return

It's safe to say that Nico Harrison's projects aren't going as planned. D'Angelo Russell is reverting to his old ways of inconsistency in shooting. With Kyrie Irving out, the Mavericks cannot afford to have Russell in a shooting slump. Caleb Martin also hasn't lived up to the hype, as he was traded for a young and upcoming sharpshooter in Quentin Grimes.

Anthony Davis, the player who was traded for Luka Doncic, hasn't necessarily been a failure, but even Cooper Flagg has surpassed him in games played. The concerns about Davis have all come true, and he can't stay on the court. Davis is already in trade rumors. Mark Cuban is telling fans that they aren't looking to move Davis, but he's a minority owner, and the writing is on the wall.

After Cuban was left out of the Luka Doncic trade, fans aren't as eager to hear what Cuban has to say about much. There is good news, though. Davis can be a valuable trade asset for some nice pieces for Dallas, and it's also a chance to rebuild and move on to a project that has barely begun in almost 10 months.

Mavericks' ideal Anthony Davis return package revealed

On The Hoop Collective podcast, ESPN's Tim Tim MacMahon says that while a Davis trade could be complicated, it could end up working out in terms of the valuable pieces Dallas can use.

"A good AD trade provides some significant financial relief next year," MacMahon said. "That's where you're talking about expiring contracts and something that could be of value moving forward in the Cooper Flagg era. Preferably multiple picks, that's probably going to be tough, a pick and a swap, and at least a young player who you can see as a rotation player long-term.

The Mavs do own their 2026 first-round pick, but it will be the last first-round pick of their own that they will have until 2031, when Cooper Flagg enters his sixth season in the NBA. The Mavs can't afford to mess this one up, and it isn't the end of the world to move some pieces around to build around one of the great young players in the NBA.

It's clear that if Davis does come back, he's only going to be injury-prone again. Bodies don't get better when someone ages, and that only takes its toll if someone has suffered through multiple injuries.

Fans will always remember that Davis was Harrison's project. Harrison, not Patrick Dumont or Mark Cuban, was the one who created and signed off on the Davis-Doncic trade. This was a colossal failure on the part of Harrison, and Doncic, who's doing spectacular things every night with the Lakers, proved that this was a giant mistake.

It's not a bad idea if the Mavs want to blow up their roster to correct Harrison's mistakes, and ending the short-term Davis era would be understandable to the fan base. At least that's no longer up to Harrison. It's in the hands of Dumont, Michael Finley, and Matt Riccardi.

If Dallas does trade Davis, which is likely, it seems like it will be for expiring contracts, draft capital, and a solid young player. These are solid goals for trading the 32-year-old big man, and time will tell if they capitalize on this.