The Dallas Mavericks and Anthony Davis have been the talk of the league this whole season. After the Mavs started their season extremely poorly, leading to GM Nico Harrison’s firing, talk of Davis potentially being traded has skyrocketed across the league. Now, as things continue to get worse in Dallas, one report seems to suggest Davis’ perspective on his future.

“His agent, Rick Paul, has made it clear he thinks it’s in AD’s best interest to be traded,” ESPN‘s Tim MacMahon reported during tonight’s game between the Mavs and the Lakers. “AD does not necessarily agree, though. I’ve been told he has not been pushing to be moved and is comfortable here in Dallas.”

The distinction pointed out by MacMahon matters a lot, given how loud and unmistakable superstar trade demands are. Davis has not shown public frustration or pressured the organization to steer into action, because from his perspective, there’s no reason to leave a comfortable position after less than a year to chase a midseason reset somewhere else.

Paul’s position, however, also makes sense, given his role as Davis’ representation through Klutch Sports. Reports from earlier this year suggested that Paul had been pushing for a trade from the Mavericks to a team who was willing to give Davis an extension after his contract runs out, which the Mavs have not done yet.

Davis can be traded any time, but the recent ligament damage in his left hand has seemed to cooled down his trade market, and gives the Mavs a lot more leverage heading into the offseason. Right now, hopes are that Davis can either recoup his value after he returns from injury or that his representation and Dallas can come to terms on his future.

The Dallas Mavericks Have Drawn a Line in the Sand When it Comes to Anthony Davis

The Mavericks have previously made it clear that any Anthony Davis trade is going to be on the terms beneficial to the team, or likely not at all. According to previous reports by MacMahon, the Mavs have no intention of being rushed into a move just due to outside pressure, and multiple insiders commented on Rich Paul’s lobbying, with one team source commenting: “Rich Paul is not going to bully us.”

Ownership shares that stance as well, with another source highlighting that the team is under no pressure to make a reactionary move, explaining that owner Patrick Dumont is “not going to sign off on a deal just to do a deal.” The internal message is clear: be patient, because regardless of the trade deadline approaching, there’s no urgency.

“Patrick has no problem going into next year and seeing with a healthy Kyrie and a healthy AD alongside Cooper Flagg and seeing what it looks like,” a third insider added.

With very limited control over future first-round picks, the Mavs’ front office under Matt Riccardi and Michael Finley values flexibility and holding the cards. Whether a move comes now or later, if at all, the team believes they hold the leverage and have no problem waiting it out.

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