The Luka trade blew up. The “Fire Nico” chants worked. And now the Dallas Mavericks are apparently ready to hit the red button on everything that came after it, including Anthony Davis and Klay Thompson. According to multiple reports, the post–Nico Harrison Mavs are preparing for a radical reset, which will incline toward making Cooper Flagg the team’s star.

“I’m told that Mark Cuban, the Mavs’ minority owner who was exiled from basketball operations by Harrison, is back at the table,” Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix said. “I’m also told that radical roster changes have already been discussed by Dallas’s new brain trust. Big changes could be coming to Big D.”

This isn’t just fan theory. DallasHoopsJournal earlier reported that the Mavericks are widely expected to trade Anthony Davis and Klay Thompson after firing general manager Nico Harrison. On paper, trading Anthony Davis should feel insane. He’s still putting up numbers:

• As a Maverick overall: 20.3 points, 10.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 0.9 steals, 1.9 blocks in 14 games.
• This season: 20.8 points, 10.2 boards, 2.2 assists, 1.6 steals, 1.2 blocks on 52.0% shooting.

Those are All-NBA-level box scores. However, they exist only in tiny samples and surrounded by alarms.

Davis has played just five games this season. He’s currently out with a left calf strain, and nobody knows when he’ll suit up again. Given modern history with calf-to-Achilles horror stories, that’s terrifying for a 33-year-old big man who reported to camp at 268 pounds, 15 pounds heavier than his last listed weight with the Lakers.

Davis’ trade rumors come on the heels of expectations to acquire younger players to build the team around 2025 Draft’s No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg.

As per reports, Patrick Dumont has already requested for medical data on the player’s injury. The owner will not let the latter play if there’s risk of aggravating the strain and diminishing his potential trade value.

Furthermore, as per reporter Marc Stein, the Mavericks are expected to “work with Anthony Davis” to decide whether they’ll go for an in-season trade before the February 5 trade deadline.

However, financially, Davis is a huge swing. He is making $54.1 million this year with no no-trade clause. That makes him both:

• A genuine star upgrade for a desperate contender
• And a giant cap slot, the Mavs can flip for multiple pieces and future assets

That’s why SI called moving Davis “non-negotiable” if you’re serious about Flagg.

Klay Thompson: From Splash Legacy to Salary Slot

Klay Thompson’s situation is different. Less dramatic, more depressing.

He’s averaging a career-low 8.5 points per game, shooting 32.0% from the field and 28.9% from three. He started the first seven games of the season, then Jason Kidd sent him to the bench.

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For a guy whose entire value is built on shooting and spacing, those numbers are brutal. Defensively, he no longer slides with quick guards. He plays more like a small forward, but Dallas already has a glut of forwards and big wings.

Thompson earns $16.7 million this season with a no-trade clause. For Dallas, he simply doesn’t fit the right timeline. A 3–9 team trying to pivot to Cooper Flagg’s prime doesn’t need a struggling 30-something wing eating minutes and usage.

So he lands in the same bucket as Davis: A respected name, a huge legacy, and an awkward present. But what more radical changes can we expect?

• Trade Davis
• Shop Thompson
• Move other vets who don’t fit Flagg’s arc
• Rebuild cap flexibility and recoup draft capital
• Center everything on Cooper Flagg’s development

So what now?

Don’t expect Dallas to dump AD and Klay overnight as both have big names and tricky salaries. The front office will likely slow-play this toward the trade deadline:

• Work with Davis’ camp to find teams that believe he can still be their missing piece.
• Shop Klay to contenders who need shooting, culture, and are willing to treat him like a specialist, not a star.
• Take back picks, young guards, and wings who fit around Flagg’s skill set

The risk? You move on from two Hall of Fame names and still don’t hit on the return. The reward? You finally stop living in Luka’s shadow, Nico’s shadow, and the “what if” era.

If the reporting holds, though, one thing feels locked in: Anthony Davis and Klay Thompson were the face of the post-Luka gamble. Cooper Flagg is the face of whatever comes next. Dallas seems poised to shape its future.