As the NBA trade deadline looms on February 5, whispers of seismic shifts are echoing through the league. The Dallas Mavericks, mired in a dismal 3-9 start to the 2025-26 season, are reportedly on the verge of a full roster teardown. With minority owner Mark Cuban reclaiming influence in the front office following the firing of GM Nico Harrison, radical changes are not just possible—they’re probable.
Enter the Golden State Warriors, a team that’s been circling elite big-man talent like vultures for years. According to longtime Bay Area scribe Tim Kawakami of The San Francisco Standard, the Warriors (7-6) are poised to be one of the deadline’s most aggressive players. And at the top of their wish list? None other than Anthony Davis, the 10-time All-Star power forward who’s been a fixture in Golden State’s daydreams since his dominant days in New Orleans.
“The Warriors have daydreamed about Davis for years, so anything is possible, especially with Dallas possibly approaching selloff mode,” Kawakami wrote in his latest column. It’s a tantalizing “what if” scenario: Pairing AD’s rim-protecting prowess and mid-range mastery with Stephen Curry’s gravity-defying shooting, Draymond Green’s defensive orchestration, and the recent addition of Jimmy Butler’s two-way tenacity. The result? A superteam that could vault Golden State back into title contention overnight.
But Kawakami isn’t all sunshine and splash brothers. He tempers the hype with a sobering reminder of Davis’ injury-riddled history—the 32-year-old has missed significant time in four of the last five seasons, including a current nagging ankle issue that’s sidelined him for the Mavs’ last three games. “Davis is an old 32—often hurt, currently hurt,” Kawakami noted. “The Warriors don’t need to add anybody that expensive and that prone to miss a month at any time.”
Fair points, all. Yet, in a league where desperation breeds creativity, the stars are aligning for a deal that could rewrite the Western Conference landscape. Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix fueled the fire this week, reporting that Dallas’ new brain trust has already convened to discuss “radical roster changes.” Cuban, once exiled from basketball ops by Harrison, is back at the decision-making table, and the Mavs’ war chest of tradeable assets—P.J. Washington, Daniel Gafford, Dereck Lively II, Max Christie, Naji Marshall, and even former Warriors sharpshooter Klay Thompson—is overflowing.
For Golden State, the timing couldn’t be better. After a scorching 4-1 start buoyed by the seamless integration of youngsters Jonathan Kuminga and Brandin Podziemski into the starting lineup alongside Curry, Green, and Butler, the Dubs have stumbled to 3-5. Injuries have piled up, and the prized rookies’ regressions—Kuminga’s inefficient shot selection and Podz’s turnover-prone playmaking—have forced coach Steve Kerr to bench them both. Kawakami adds that both are on the trade block, alongside struggling veteran Buddy Hield, who’s posting a league-worst -47 plus-minus rating.
This confluence of needs screams blockbuster. Dallas, eyeing a lottery ticket and cap flexibility, would be foolish to cling to a malcontent AD who’s clashed with Luka Dončić in limited minutes this season. Golden State, meanwhile, craves a reliable second star to ease the load on a 37-year-old Curry. The bridge? A trade package so lopsided in Dallas’ favor that even the most skeptical execs would hit “accept.”
The No-Brainer Trade Proposal
Here’s how it could go down: Warriors receive: Anthony Davis. In return, the Mavericks land a haul primed for a full rebuild.
| Mavericks Receive | Warriors Receive | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Jonathan Kuminga (restricted free agent-to-be, high-upside wing) | Anthony Davis (All-Star big, immediate contention boost) | Kuminga, 22, brings athleticism and defense that fits next to Dončić; his -41 plus-minus belies raw potential Dallas can develop. |
| Brandin Podziemski (versatile guard, 2023 first-rounder) | Podz, despite a sophomore slump, has “fans in the front office and around the NBA,” per Kawakami. At 22, he’s a steal for a rebuilding Mavs backcourt. | |
| Buddy Hield (expiring contract, elite shooter) | Hield’s -47 plus-minus is brutal, but his 40% three-point stroke could space the floor for Dallas’ young core. Easy salary filler. | |
| 2026 first-round pick (top-5 protected) + 2028 first-round pick (unprotected) | Golden State parts with future assets but keeps their 2027 pick. Dallas gets lottery odds and long-term flexibility—Cuban’s dream for a reset. |
Why Dallas can’t say no: This isn’t just a salary dump; it’s a treasure trove. Kuminga and Podziemski are cornerstones in waiting, Hield provides instant shooting (imagine him alongside Klay’s resurgence), and those picks could become franchise-changers if the Warriors falter post-trade. AD’s $43.2 million salary matches neatly with the outgoing pieces (Kuminga at $7.6M, Podz at $3.7M, Hield at $21.2M), avoiding the luxury tax headaches that have plagued Dallas. In a selloff mode, as Mannix reports, this nets the Mavs blue-chip youth without gutting their wing depth—they keep Washington, Gafford, Lively, and Thompson as trade chips or rotation pieces.
For Golden State, the upside is transformative. Davis slots in as the ultimate Curry complement: a 7-footer who can switch 1-5 like Green, hunt mismatches like Butler, and anchor the paint against behemoths like the Nuggets’ Jokić or Timberwolves’ Gobert. Sure, the injury risk looms—AD’s played 70+ games just twice since 2018—but at a post-trade cap hit that’s manageable with Butler’s extension looming, it’s a calculated gamble. “Conclusion: AD wouldn’t be worth trading away [Jimmy] Butler plus other assets,” Kawakami wrote. True, but this package spares Butler entirely, preserving the core while upgrading the frontcourt.
Broader Implications: A Western Shake-Up
If this deal materializes, the ripple effects would be seismic. Dallas accelerates a youth movement around Dončić and Kyrie Irving (if he waives his no-trade clause), positioning for a 2026 draft haul. Golden State, already fortified by Butler’s midseason arrival last year, becomes the NBA’s ultimate “old man and the sea” squad—veteran guile meets AD’s prime athleticism. And the Lakers? They might breathe a sigh of relief that their ex-star didn’t land in the Bay, though LeBron James could still troll Curry on social media.
Kawakami’s caveat—”the AD/Warriors moment likely has passed”—feels like yesterday’s news in this overheated rumor mill. With the Mavs’ 3-9 skid and the Warriors’ bench demotions signaling urgency, “anything is possible” isn’t hyperbole; it’s inevitability. Dallas would be committing malpractice by refusing this bounty. Golden State, ever the opportunists, should pull the trigger before some other suitor (looking at you, Knicks) crashes the party.
The deadline is 82 days away. By then, will we be toasting a new dynasty in Dub Nation, or lamenting another missed Warriors pipe dream? One thing’s for sure: In the NBA’s wild, wonderful chaos, no package is truly too good to refuse—until it is.