Mark Cuban Says Mavs Won’t Trade Anthony Davis Because ‘We Want To Try To Win’

Dallas Mavericks minority owner Mark Cuban recently told The Athletic’s Joe Vardon that the franchise would not try to trade Anthony Davis this season, despite what ESPN’s Tim MacMahon’s sources said about Davis.

“We won’t. We want to try to win,” Cuban said Wednesday in an email when asked if he and Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont would seek a deal for Davis, who was the centerpiece for Dallas in last season’s Luka Doncic trade.

That’s what Cuban is saying now, but it’s also possible his position will change prior to Feb. 5 if the 4-11 Mavs are unable to turn their season around by the trade deadline.

Mark Cuban Denies Anthony Davis Trade Rumors

Cuban made those comments just hours after MacMahon reported that Dallas plans to explore the trade market for Davis prior to this season’s deadline.

Per MacMahon, Dumont along with co-interim general managers Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi, head coach Jason Kidd, and Cuban are “plotting to pivot” to a future built around this year’s No. 1 overall pick, Cooper Flagg.

That report could still be accurate as the Mavs are struggling to win games with their current core.

Mark Cuban is back in the fold with the Mavericks, and told ⁦@TheAthleticNBA⁩ they won’t trade Anthony Davis because ‘we want to try to win’ https://t.co/rsMLQROKsR

— Joe Vardon (@joevardon) November 19, 2025

Davis, 32, has been linked to multiple teams since the Mavericks parted ways with president of basketball operations and general manager Nico Harrison last week.

Among those teams are the Miami Heat, New York Knicks, Toronto Raptors, Chicago Bulls, Sacramento Kings, and Golden State Warriors.

Davis Has Played In Only 14 Games With Mavs

Davis played in only nine regular-season games for Dallas last season. The 10-time All-Star was recovering from an abdominal injury at the time of the trade and strained his adductor in his Mavs debut.

He missed six weeks due to that adductor injury.

During the offseason, Davis also underwent a procedure to repair a detached retina that he suffered near the end of the 2024-25 season. He sustained his right eye injury in Dallas’ 120-118 win over the Atlanta Hawks on April 2.

Davis is now wearing goggles for the remainder of his career.

In total, Davis has appeared in just 14 of 48 possible regular-season games for the Mavs since that trade deal and is currently sidelined due to a left calf strain.

The team announced on Sunday that Davis will be reevaluated in seven to 10 days.