Just a year after arriving in Dallas, the Mavericks are seemingly at a crossroads with the Anthony Davis trade situation. After all, the 10x All-Star is leading the team in points, rebounds, and blocks, despite playing just 20 games this season. But is there an upside to keeping him post-trade deadline?

“Look, honestly, to my knowledge, not a whole lot has changed with the Anthony Davis situation. Rich Paul would prefer to have his client in a place where an extension is forthcoming this summer. He would prefer not to play the wait-and-see game with the Mavericks, which is what it is with them in terms of an extension.” On Howdy Partners latest episode, Tim MacMahon explained the situation of stalemate with the Mavs franchise and Davis. But the player is not asking for a way out just yet.

“But AD is not pounding on the door to get traded. I don’t know that there’s a market for him, and that is attractive to the Mavericks. You know, we’ll see how things uh progress over the next week or so,” concluded MacMahon. Earlier this month, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported the Mavs had “renewed trade talks around Davis.” A week ago, TSN’s Josh Lewenberg confirmed that AD’s agent, Rich Paul, is working “tirelessly to force a trade” behind the scenes. But there is a catch.

The trade could only happen to a team that would offer his client, Anthony Davis, an extension. Even the Mavericks are not really interested in a trade unless they get real assets back in return, whether that’s draft compensation, a young player, expiring contracts, or any combination of the three. That’s why the work has been tireless for Rich Paul.

After all, reports of Davis linked with the Warriors and the Hawks were prevalent. But the move hasn’t materialized yet. Amid this, a report surfaced that the CEO of Klutch Sports demanded that the Mavericks trade Davis before the deadline. That NBA insider Marc Stein quickly debunked, and even Rich Paul on his podcast, the “Game Over” podcast addressed things directly.

Rich Paul takes a clear stance on Anthony Davis trade

“I know what was said. That thing was aggregated. This is the power of the internet. If you’re wondering why Rich Paul has a podcast, this is part of the reason why.” Paul stated that it was “fake news” of him demanding a trade for his client, AD. “Long as my guy is in position to get paid, that’s all I want to do… this idea I don’t want a player somewhere, that’s not true.”

Davis has been sidelined since January 8 and is expected to be out for at least another month with ligament damage in his left hand. Teams looking for a playoff push may not want to send out valuable assets for a guy who may not be healthy by March. It is one of the reasons why there is a lack of interest for the 10x All-Star. ESPN’s Tim MacMahon said on an episode of Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective that the Mavericks didn’t feel that same urgency to move Davis.

MacMahon even hinted that Mavs governor Patrick Dumont is not going to sign off on a deal just to do a deal. Another source hinted that the front office has no problem going into next year with a healthy Kyrie Irving and a healthy AD alongside Cooper Flagg and seeing what it looks like. With 7 days left before the trade deadline, it will be interesting to see if the urgency increases in the Mavericks or if Rich Paul can work a deal at the last minute.