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The NBA’s trade season is officially heating up with players such as Anthony Davis in question, and Shams Charania is once again pulling back the curtain on what front offices are really discussing as December rolls on. With nearly the entire league becoming trade-eligible this week and executives gathering in Orlando for the annual G League Showcase, high-stakes conversations are beginning to sharpen.
“This is the unofficial start to having real, high-stakes conversations,” one top team executive said this week, via Shams Charania of ESPN.
With teams crossing the 25 game threshold, organizations now believe they have enough evidence to decide who they are, what they need, and whether it is time to buy or sell. No situation is drawing more attention than the future of Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis.
Davis has emerged as one of the central figures in early deadline chatter, with multiple Eastern Conference contenders preparing bids, according to Charania. His reporting detailed meetings between Davis’ agent, Rich Paul, and the Mavericks’ interim co-general managers Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi, where clarity was requested on the franchise’s long-term direction.
Finley and Riccardi responded that “they want to keep their options open and view how the team plays for the next few weeks,” according to Charania.
Meanwhile, rival teams are preparing their pitches. The Detroit Pistons, Atlanta Hawks, and Toronto Raptors have all registered interest after Davis averaged 19.6 points and 10.2 rebounds across 10 games this season, Chris Cwik of Yahoo Sports Noted. He also noted that Davis “would be at the top of their list” should Dallas decide to sell.
The financial stakes only intensify the drama. Davis becomes eligible in August to sign a four-year, $275 million extension. That deal would take Davis through his age-37 season, when he would make $76 million.
Davis holds a player option for 2027-28, setting up a scenario in which he could become a free agent at age thirty-four if no extension materializes.
Elsewhere, Shams detailed that Dallas is also exploring the market for Daniel Gafford, Klay Thompson, and D’Angelo Russell as their 9-16 start forces a difficult internal evaluation.
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