On Tuesday morning, ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania reported that Anthony Davis will "likely" undergo surgery on his left hand to repair ligament damage. Charania added that meant AD's season with the Mavericks is "essentially over," as it doesn't look like they'll reach the playoffs. Somehow, the Los Angeles Lakers look even better for last year's Luka Dončić-Davis trade.
Nico Harrison orchestrated the trade because he believed that AD's defense would lead Dallas to a title. Davis was injured during the trade, and when he made his Mavericks debut, he got hurt in the third quarter. He played only nine games to end the season. He played 20 games in 2025-26 before he hurt his hand last Thursday in the team's loss to Utah.
Before AD's most recent injury, several teams had expressed interest in trading for him, with Atlanta and Toronto sitting atop the list. Charania reported that Dallas is having "renewed" trade talks with "multiple interested teams," as there is a chance he could return in time for the postseason. For his sake, hopefully, he will be healthy then, but that doesn't change things for LA.
The Lakers were the clear winners of last January's trade as soon as Charania tweeted it (and everyone realized someone hadn't hacked his account). Since then, they've managed to look even more like magicians for turning Davis into Dončić.
Anthony Davis will 'likely' undergo surgery, miss the rest of the Mavs' season
The trade deadline is still over three weeks away, but Dallas' reluctance to part with Davis before his injury could mean that he will stay on the roster for the remainder of the season. Patrick Dumont wanted to see AD, Cooper Flagg, and Kyrie Irving on the floor together, but that won't happen this season. The Mavericks should've been pushing for a trade.
Even if Davis hadn't gotten hurt, Dallas wouldn't have been able to turn him into a package that reflected what it gave up for him. Assuming there are still teams interested in trading for him and that he will be available in time for the playoffs (not a guarantee), the Mavericks will get even less than they expected.
Dallas' front office mishandled this situation from the beginning, but it played in LA's favor. That doesn't mean Lakers fans are glad to see AD is dealing with another setback; that isn't the case at all. He means a lot to the organization, and he always will. Hopefully, his latest injury won't cost him too much time. It'd be nice to see him elsewhere in the postseason, so let's see what happens there.
For what it's worth, Marc Stein reported that there is "optimism" Davis could return sometime in March, even if he does have surgery. AD himself tweeted, "Y'all better stop listening to lies on these apps!" which was presumably a shot at Charania's report. So maybe he will be on the move before the deadline, or at least back on the court this season.