Mavericks are stuck in Anthony Davis trade limbo they can’t escape

In a Bleacher Report livestream on Tuesday, NBA insider Jake Fischer said that teams interested in an Anthony Davis trade with the Dallas Mavericks could decide to "hold their powder" and wait to see what happens with Giannis Antetokounmpo.

For now, it looks like Giannis could stay with the Bucks, at least until the offseason. Of course, that could change between now and the Feb. 5 deadline. If it doesn't, and the Mavericks make Davis available, teams would understandably be hesitant to cash in for AD, knowing Giannis could hit the market over the summer.

Giannis is only one year younger than Davis, but he's a top player in the NBA, and Milwaukee's phone would ring off the hook if he did request a trade. As good as AD can be when healthy, if he is made available, the demand wouldn't compare to what it'd be like if Giannis were. Look at how things already are, and he hasn't explicitly asked out.

Teams waiting for a Giannis trade would hurt Anthony Davis offers

None of this may matter, at least not before the deadline, as Fischer also said on the livestream that most people are "operating under the assumption" that Davis will stay in Dallas through the end of the season. NBA insider Marc Stein reported a couple of days ago that Patrick Dumont wants to see AD play with Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving (subscription required) before they make a trade.

Let's say that the Mavericks decide to wait out a Davis trade and then make him available during the offseason. They will still run into the same problem with Giannis. If the Bucks don't turn into a contender between now and the end of the season (the odds are stacked against them), he could finally do what everyone is waiting for and ask out. Davis would be an afterthought.

What Dallas needs to do before the deadline is capitalize on the interest that teams like the Hawks have shown in Davis. Stein referred to them as a "real-deal suitor" for the big man. Atlanta's desperation to make a playoff run in a conference without Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton (assuming Tatum will remain sidelined) could play in the Mavericks' favor.

Dallas can't control what will happen with Giannis and Milwaukee, but what it can control is how long Davis remains in Texas. The sooner that a trade happens, the better. Don't prolong the inevitable.