Anthony Davis was widely expected to be on the trade market before the upcoming February 5 deadline. A report, which was later debunked by NBA insider Marc Stein, even claimed that his agent, Rich Paul, has made a demand to the Mavericks’ front office that they trade him before the deadline.
The renowned sports agent Rich Paul recorded an episode of his podcast, ‘Game Over with Max Kellerman,’ and issued a clarification on what exactly went down behind the scenes of such news.
“I know what was said. That thing was aggregated. This is the power of the internet,” said Paul as he shut down the rumors of asking for Anthony Davis to be traded.
“If you’re wondering why Rich Paul has a podcast, this is part of the reason why. Do I have to podcast responsibly as I drink responsibly? Yes, of course, I have to podcast responsibly. But the reality of it is that’s fake news.”
“When you have a player that’s on a team, it’s not like you want guys to move for the sake of being moved… If a guy is happy where they are, great. You care about people’s families, you care about the guys well beings, and you care if they’re happy.”
“From a business perspective, you want guys to be positioned and you want guys to be paid. I really don’t care where the money comes from; the money can come from the 31st team in the NBA for all I care. As long as my guy is in a position to get paid, that’s all I want to do.”
“This idea that I don’t want a player somewhere, that’s not true,” concluded Paul. He further elaborated on how Davis is well-positioned currently with the Mavericks to compete for a championship if fully healthy.
Ever since the season began, Anthony Davis has been under the microscope of public scrutiny due to his performance in Dallas with the Mavericks. He has missed more games with the Mavericks than games played since arriving last February in a blockbuster trade.
So far this season, Davis is averaging 20.4 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in 20 of the Mavericks’ 56 games played so far. He shot 50.6% from the field but an abysmal 27.0% from beyond the arc.
The Mavericks’ owner, Patrick Dumont, reportedly wants to see Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis, and Cooper Flagg play together for a stint before deciding on the future direction of the team. It seemed like the team was headed in that direction until this bombshell fake news stunned the media.
Davis is currently sidelined with a left finger sprain and hasn’t played in the last seven games since injuring his hand against the Jazz. The Mavericks are expecting him to return later this season, and if, by some miracle, the 19-27 Mavericks make it to the playoffs, then we could see the trio of Flagg, Irving, and Davis as early as April or May this year.
Therefore, it will be interesting to see if the Mavericks move him before the trade deadline, but it seems at this point they are not looking to move Davis anymore.
