The Dallas Mavericks may explore Anthony Davis trades soon. At least that seems to be the consensus among people in NBA circles. After Dallas fired Nico Harrison, they made it clear that the current roster isn’t untouchable. And if the Lakers make a run at him, they could end up having their cake and eating it too — Luka Doncic and Anthony Davis together in Los Angeles.
People around the league expect the Mavericks to test the trade market for Anthony Davis, per @espn
(h/t @WireHoops ) pic.twitter.com/JfZoB0eTe2
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) November 11, 2025
Potential Trade
Lakers receive:
Anthony Davis
Mavericks receive:
Rui Hachimura
Jarred Vanderbilt
Gabe Vincent
Maxi Kleber
Dalton Knecht
Lakers first-round pick (unprotected)
Lakers pick swap
The Obvious Fit in LA
Part of what makes the idea so easy to believe is how little imagination it requires. Davis isn’t some theoretical puzzle piece the Lakers hope would mesh. Just months ago, he anchored their defense and was their offensive hub. He knows the system, the staff, the spacing, the timing — all of it. A return wouldn’t be a transition; it would be a matter of muscle memory. That’s rare in this league. Usually, when a star changes teams, everyone holds their breath waiting to see if the chemistry holds. With AD and the Lakers, the chemistry is already proven. You’re not reinventing anything; you’re resuming what already worked.
Luka + AD: The League’s Worst Nightmare
You’re essentially adding Luka Doncic to what already worked for the Lakers last year. Luka bends the court into shapes that don’t exist for normal players. He dictates the pace, the angles, the attention. He forces defenses to show their hand before they’re ready. And Davis is exactly the kind of big man who thrives next to a creator like that — someone who can finish lobs, attack the short roll, punish switches, and make weak-side rotations panic before the ball even arrives. Their pick-and-roll would instantly become one of the toughest actions in the league to deal with. The fit wouldn’t be a question — it would be an inevitability.
Why It’s Unlikely
The irony is that the same chaos that would make Davis available is the exact reason he won’t be traded to Los Angeles.
Nico Harrison’s firing was Dallas ownership extending an olive branch to a fanbase that it had alienated. It shows that they are listening to the fans after they’ve been chanting “Fire Nico” this whole time. Trading Anthony Davis to the Lakers would undo all the goodwill they’re trying to build.
Mavericks ownership can’t afford to poke a fanbase that’s already frustrated. You can’t give your franchise cornerstone back to the team that clearly won the trade for your previous franchise cornerstone. Even if it makes sense for their rebuild, the optics would be catastrophic. It would make it look like you’re giving the Lakers everything they want at the expense of your own team. That’s the kind of move fans don’t forgive easily, and ownership knows it.
The Bottom Line
From a purely basketball perspective, Luka Doncic and Anthony Davis would be one of the most natural superstar duos in the league. The fit works. The roles complement each other. The system familiarity amplifies it all. This would be a dream scenario for Lakers fans. But it would be at the expense of the Mavericks’ faithful, who have already suffered enough.
