ESPN drops painful truth about Mavericks' Anthony Davis trade return

The Dallas Mavericks will shop Anthony Davis on the trade market ahead of the February 5 trade deadline, but ESPN doesn't seem to believe that he is going to get a massive return as we've seen in the past with other star players. The Mavericks may get the short end of the stick despite giving up the farm to bring in Davis, and this is a brutal truth that fans will have to accept.

On ESPN's Monday episode of "The Hoop Collective," Tim MacMahon predicted that Davis is not going to generate the "superstar trade return." He says that he believes the Mavericks will get a "KD from the Suns-type of return."

Over the summer, Kevin Durant was traded to the Houston Rockets for Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the No. 10 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, and five second-round picks. The Phoenix Suns only acquired one first-round pick when trading Durant, despite him being one of the greatest scorers of all time, and the same should be expected when the Mavericks trade Davis.

Mavericks aren't going to get the farm for Anthony Davis

Moves like the Desmond Bane and Mikal Bridges trades (four first-round picks and a swap for each player, along with matching salary) should not be compared to what Dallas is going to get for Davis (if they trade him).

Davis' brutal injury history as of late has undoubtedly forced his trade value down, and the next couple of weeks will be pivotal when it comes to how much the Mavericks are going to receive in a prospective trade for him. If he dominates when he returns from his calf strain and looks like a top-15 player in the NBA, the Mavericks could find themselves netting an even bigger return than expected.

If not, and he struggles and still looks out of shape, Dallas could be forced into taking an extremely low offer. Davis came into training camp out of shape after spending a decent part of the summer recovering from eye surgery, and it only took him five games to strain his right calf. He has been out ever since, and the Mavericks have been extra cautious with his recovery.

Davis, his medical team, and Nico Harrison were pushing for him to play over two weeks ago, but Patrick Dumont and the Mavericks' training staff shut this down due to the risk that he could tear his Achilles. Dumont and company aren't messing around with Davis' return to the hardwood, and we got a positive update in terms of his return on Monday.

The Mavericks ruled him as doubtful for their game against the Miami Heat, and this is a sign that his return is nearing. Last week, the Mavericks announced that Davis would be re-evaluated in 7-10 days, and today is officially eight days since that update.

It should be expected that Davis is trending in the right direction toward returning, and a positive appointment over the next few days could be exactly what he needs to come back and play against the Los Angeles Lakers or LA Clippers this weekend. Dallas seems to always upgrade a player who is recovering from an injury to doubtful and then questionable before ultimately making them available to play, and the same should be expected for Davis.

His play from now until the trade deadline is what will make or break his trade value, and him staying healthy during this time and playing at an elite level is what teams will be looking for. Teams from across the NBA will at least want to see him play well and remain healthy before giving up valuable assets to bring him in, and Dallas' trade return for him will be one of the most talked-about subjects of the season.

ESPN seems to believe that it will be similar to what the Rockets gave up to bring in Durant, but the next few months could swing this in either direction.