Early Anthony Davis development threatens to spark brutal Mavericks trade

Anthony Davis dominated for the Dallas Mavericks on Monday night against the Utah Jazz, as he finished with 25 points, six rebounds, two assists, two steals, and two blocks, and his excellence in this game could force Nico Harrison to trade one of his teammates later this season, thanks to the fact that he was mostly playing center in this game despite his long-known preference of playing power forward.

It's not the time to fully overreact yet about Davis' minutes at center being considerably better than his minutes at power forward, but if this trend continues, the Mavericks may feel inclined to trade Daniel Gafford for more wing depth or another guard to help them power through Kyrie Irving's absence and into the playoffs.

Dallas signed Gafford to a three-year extension earlier this offseason, notably avoiding a six-month trade restriction, and they could trade him today if they'd like because of the amount that the contract extension was signed for.

Mavericks may be forced to move Gafford because of Davis' fit

The Mavericks made it clear that they had no intention to move Gafford this offseason, but with him being in trade rumors last season, combined with the fact that Davis seems to play better at the five than the four, Dallas could re-engage in some conversations with rival teams once again surrounding Gafford to build the best roster they can around Irving and Davis.

Gafford has been key for the Mavs ever since they acquired him from the Washington Wizards, and ultimately helped them turn their season around and reach the 2024 NBA Finals, but with how the roster is currently constructed, his time in Dallas could come to an end at some point this season. Harrison is always looking to make changes around the edges if needed, and if he believes that moving Gafford to better balance the roster and give them more depth elsewhere will help lead them to a title, he may just do it.

This isn't to say that Dallas' new double-big philosophy is doomed from the start, as Jason Kidd has to at least try these massive lineups that include Davis at the four and Dereck Lively II or Gafford at the five, but conversations may need to have if the lineups that include Davis at center are much more effective than when he is playing power forward.

The lineups with Davis at center rather than power forward will have much more floor spacing, and being able to pair him alongside Irving, Klay Thompson, Cooper Flagg, and P.J. Washington will likely end up being the Mavs' best lineup next season, and could end up being their closing lineup. The lineups that include Davis at center may also end up being their most effective five-out lineup, especially if Lively II doesn't prove himself as a floor spacer, and they could opt to spam this five-man unit in certain situations.

It's still far too early to determine if Davis will be so much better at center than power forward that it'll force them to trade Gafford, but with how the rest of the roster is built, this wouldn't be a shock at all.

On Monday, Davis was in his element, as he was killing the Jazz with his mid-range and 3-point jumper, as well as his scoring around the bucket, and Utah's bigs were too slow to stick with him on the perimeter. If they didn't close out hard enough, Davis would take advantage of the space he was given and step into an open three. If they closed out hard or tried to defend him tightly on the perimeter, he would just blow by them, as he did on Jusuf Nurkic for one of his many highlight plays of the night.

The chatter surrounding Davis' great game against Utah is loud, likely only because he struggled and looked unengaged against the Charlotte Hornets a few days prior, and this talk surrounding Davis and what position he needs to be playing could quickly die down if he can begin the regular season on a heater and excel at the four.

But if not, Dallas maximizing their assets may be in their best interest. The Mavs' closing lineup will likely include Davis at the five, meaning Lively II and Gafford would be on the bench, and having two of your best players on the bench when the game matters most would be questionable asset management to say the absolute least.