Anthony Davis to Mavericks? 8-time All-Star offers perfect recruiting pitch

The Dallas Mavericks lost to the Lakers 111-108 on Sunday afternoon as Anthony Davis erupted for 30 points, 15 rebounds, and three blocks. He was dominant down the stretch, and the Mavericks couldn't stop him.

Although this is arguably the best season Davis has ever played for the Lakers, the trade rumors for this summer surrounding the 11th-year big man are starting to heat up, and many people think that the duo of Davis and LeBron James could split.

On Feb. 7, James passed Kareem Abdul Jabbar to become the NBA's all-time leading scorer. The Staples Center erupted and every single Lakers player except for one player was standing to support James as he made history. That one player was Davis.

Anthony Davis to Dallas Mavericks? 8-time All-Star offers perfect recruiting pitch

Davis didn't seem interested in supporting the player that he won an NBA championship next to in 2020. He just sat on the bench emotionless.

But the speculation doesn't end there.

A week later Colin Cowherd reported on his daily show, The Herd, that James and his camp are fed up with the situation with Davis. He missed over 100 games in the past three seasons and has been unreliable.

"LeBron and his camp are frustrated with how many minutes he has to play. They can't depend on Anthony Davis. They're a little upset that Darvin Ham isn't keeping the pressure on Anthony Davis."

And here's where things get even more interesting for Davis and the Dallas Mavericks in particular.

"I talked to an NBA source who I've known for a long time; he said the Dallas Mavericks and Anthony Davis. Keep your eye on it."

But getting Davis to Dallas wouldn't be something easy. Davis is under contract for next season and has a player option in 2024. If the Mavericks or any other team want Davis it would have to come through a trade.

If the Lakers are moving on from Davis, the Mavericks could be one of the first teams to call the Lakers, but it could come at the price of a sign-and-trade of Kyrie Irving to the Lakers. A move that could be smart if Irving was already planning on leaving Dallas anyways. Trading Kyrie for Davis would prevent Irving from leaving for nothing and give the Mavericks a star to pair next to Luka if the Irving-Doncic duo doesn't work out.

But if the Irving-Doncic does work and the Mavericks re-sign Irving in the offseason, they could still be interested in bringing in Davis to be the third star in Dallas. The possibilities are endless with the Mavs as general manager Nico Harrison has proved he's willing to do whatever it takes to bolster the talent on the roster.

The duo of Davis and Doncic could work phenomenally. It would give Luka a dominant big man play beside. Trading for Davis could also help the Mavericks rebounding problem. Davis is averaging a career-high 12.4 rebounds per game this season, and the Mavericks are statistically the worst rebounding team in the NBA.

Luka and Davis could be a match made in heaven, pending the rest of the season with Davis and the Lakers, if he proves he can stay healthy down the stretch as they push for the playoffs.

The Anthony Davis drama is something to keep an eye on as the season winds and teams begin to make moves over the summer. Will he end up on the Dallas Mavericks? Stay tuned.