NBA insider delivers bleak reality on potential Anthony Davis trade

On Friday, ESPN's Tim Bontemps wrote that he's spoken to sources who "have expressed skepticism in a robust market" for Dallas Mavericks big man Anthony Davis. The Mavericks haven't made Davis available, but with trade season starting on Monday, Dec. 15, questions about his future in Dallas will continue to rise.

Davis is making $54.1 million this season and will make $58.5 million next season. He has a $62.8 million player option for the 2027-28 season. He will be eligible to sign a massive four-year, $275 million extension on Aug. 6, meaning that when he is 37, he could be making $76 million. Not only is that a lot of money to everyday people, but it's a lot of money in the NBA world.

Teams that may be interested in Davis will have to think about that if the Mavericks decide to listen to offers for the 32-year-old. Dallas can't bank on a big-time offer for AD, no matter how good he is when he's healthy. Teams have to be careful between the CBA and Davis' injury history.

A Western Conference executive said it best when he told ESPN: "Now more than ever, you cannot overpay for past performance, either in salary or draft picks. The cost of a mistake is too high."

Mavericks wouldn't get return they'd want for Anthony Davis

Dallas will never be able to undo the Luka Dončić trade that landed Davis with the Mavericks. It was clear as soon as ESPN's Shams Charania reported that deal that Dallas was on the losing end. Davis got hurt in his first game with the Mavericks after returning from injury, and played only nine games to end the regular season. So far this season, he's played in 10 of the team's 25 games.

For Dallas to have its best shot at a decent return for AD before the deadline, he needs to be on the floor. The good news is that he's played in all four of the Mavericks' games so far this month (and he's available for tonight's game against the Nets), averaging 20 points, 11.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.8 blocks, and 1.0 steals per game, shooting 51.5% from the field and 44.4% from three.

Unfortunately, even with Davis healthy and playing well, it will be hard for a team to justify taking on the remainder of his contract and extending him. There is no guarantee that he will stay healthy, which is the case for every player, but especially for injury-prone players like AD.

The CBA isn't forgiving. In large part because of that, Davis could still be in Dallas past the trade deadline. Does that mean the Mavericks shouldn't listen to offers for him? No, but they need to be prepared not to hear the kind of offers they'd want to hear.