Watch live: Dallas Mavericks introduce Anthony Davis as fans continue to protest Luka Doncic trade
DALLAS – Anthony Davis will face the media for the first time as a member of the Dallas Mavericks, days after the Los Angeles Lakers traded him to the Mavs as part of a package for Luka Doncic.
Davis, 31, has been an NBA All-Star 10 times and an All-NBA player five times. He was on the Lakers team that won the 2020 NBA Championship in the COVID bubble and won a gold medal with the U.S. Men's Basketball Team at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The trade, which shocked the sports world, also saw Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris head from Dallas to L.A. The Mavs also received Max Christie and a 2029 first-round draft pick.
Mavs General Manager Nico Harrison, who orchestrated the trade, told ESPN that the deal sets the team up for present and future success. "I believe that getting an All-Defensive center and an All-NBA player with a defensive mindset gives us a better chance," Harrison said.
So far, Mavericks fans have not been convinced. Since the trade was announced, fans have protested in front of the American Airlines Center and launched a billboard campaign aimed at team management. Celestial Beerworks, a brewery in Dallas' Design District, quickly developed a new beer called " Sell The Team." They describe it as a double hazy IPA with 7.7% alcohol by volume, a nod to Doncic's jersey number.
Mavs fans will have yet another say on Saturday afternoon when the team plays its first home game since the trade, hosting the Houston Rockets.
What: Introductory press conference for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and Caleb Martin
Date: Friday, Feb. 7
Time: 1 p.m.
Location: Dallas Mavericks practice facility
Note: Streaming plans are subject to change
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Skill-wise, the Bane trade is significant for Orlando in one important respect: He's an awesome shooter with deep range, one who has made 41 percent from 3 for his career, and the Magic were last in the NBA in both 3-point makes and 3-point percentage in 2024-25. In terms of addressing a need, Orlando hardly could have done so with more of an exclamation point. Bane had been pressed into more on-ball reps the last two years in Memphis due to injuries and roster issues but should thrive playing off the ball next to Orlando's two high-usage forwards. Advertisement Off the ball, he is particularly adept at shot-faking defenders closing out on his catch, then reloading and launching once they've finished vaulting themselves into the seats. Like this. Adios, Ayo: However, Bane's addition has the knock-on effect of making defensive stopper Suggs a full-time point guard. Is this something he can handle, even with Wagner and Banchero taking so many on-ball reps? Do the Magic still need a point guard who can push tempo and touch the paint in the half court? Is that type of player still gettable with their remaining exceptions and assets? That part, I would say, is more a leap of faith and might be the tipping point in how Orlando looks back on this deal. If the lineup doesn't work, Orlando's next moves become complicated, as the Stepien Rule will prevent the Magic from trading any firsts until 2032. Bigger picture, the question is simpler: Was Bane the one? Orlando has been incredibly disciplined in keeping its powder dry while the Suggs-Wagner-Banchero trio developed. Setting sugarplum fantasies of Giannis Antetokounmpo aside, was this the best player the Magic could reasonably acquire with their pick haul? I think that's where you can view this trade most favorably for Orlando. Four picks sounds like a lot, but keep in mind that their future picks weren't going to be highly valued in trade talks because of the presumption that the team will be good — Wagner is 23, and Banchero is 22. Thus, the 16th pick in 2025 and the complex potential Phoenix swap in 2026 were their most valuable assets, and the first of those was about to die on the vine. Meanwhile, the team is about to get expensive and has expectations that come with that. If the time to push its chips in and make a move wasn't right now, it was certainly now-adjacent. The Magic didn't need to add more developmental players in the next two drafts. Bane, who turns 27 this month, is also a much better timeline fit in Orlando than some of the other trade prospects out there. Plus, the fact that he's a guard means he doesn't mess with the Wagner-Banchero forward lineup. Advertisement Finally, the other aspect we can't ignore is the state of the Eastern Conference. With injuries to Jayson Tatum and Damian Lillard, the East seems wide open for 2025-26. Orlando has to be looking at the Indiana Pacers and thinking, 'Why not us?' Even the biggest skeptic of the price the Magic paid has to acknowledge that this roster, at worst, should be one of the four best in the East next season. That takes us to the flip side of this trade: If Bane is so good, why was Memphis willing to move on from him? First things first: The Grizzlies aren't tanking or tearing things down or anything close to that. In fact, they theoretically are in just as much of a win-now mode as the Magic. They just changed coaches because they 'only' won 48 games and have two All-Stars in their mid-20s in Morant and Jackson. Agreeing to this deal had to hurt a little. A homegrown development project after the Grizzlies stole him with the 30th pick in the 2020 draft, Bane was the best shooter on a roster that mostly lacked shooting and a tireless worker with unimpeachable character. And yet … when I talked to other executives about the Grizzlies for this story in April, Bane's contract was seen more as a problem than a positive. A non-All-Star on a near-max deal, he can't fit into every salary structure and will push most good teams into the tax aprons, as he will in Orlando. This trade gives Memphis a reset of sorts. The Grizzlies get a short-term replacement in the 3-and-D role in Caldwell-Pope and, in the longer term, a clearer pathway for Jaylen Wells to play shooting guard, where Memphis prefers him. The Grizzlies will get a potential swing in the draft at No. 16 after their pick went out in the Marcus Smart salary dump and a big dollop of future draft capital. That last part is perhaps the most important element of that story, as I don't think the Grizzlies made this trade because they were fired up about the 2030 draft. Memphis made this deal to get the assets and cap flexibility to make other deals; scuttlebutt already has the Grizzlies making calls about a few targets. Advertisement In the short term, the Grizzlies are likely to use cap space to renegotiate and extend Jackson's contract — this deal was cap-neutral* in that respect — and then use their room exception for frontcourt help. (*The trade reduced Memphis' available cap room by $2.2 million, for the moment. Memphis has $4.5 million in room, including Santi Aldama's $11.88 million cap hold. The magic number the Grizzlies are trying to get to is likely at or near $13 million, which would allow them to renegotiate and extend Jackson with a four-year max at 30 percent of the cap. They can hit that number by trading John Konchar and moving down from the 16th pick to the last couple of spots in the first round, or by trading Konchar and Jay Huff to move down only a few spots.) The Grizzlies can't aggregate the salaries of Anthony or Caldwell-Pope until late in the summer, but Anthony in particular could be involved in deals right away given his de facto expiring contract. (He has a $13.1 million team option for 2026-27.) For instance, it's quite possible that the Grizzlies make small salary moves that let them use cap space on the Jackson extension, then turn around in July and use Anthony's contract and one or more of the future picks to take money back. Even after they extend Jackson, pay Aldama and use the projected $8.8 million room exception, they'll have at least $15 million in float below the projected tax line. Anthony can be traded for up to $20.6 million in returning salary, which would put him in range for players such as P.J. Washington, Daniel Gafford, Deni Avdija, Keegan Murray, Cam Johnson, Jakob Poeltl and Isaiah Stewart, to name a few possibilities from a quick trawling session through the league's cap sheets. Anthony could also be used in a sign-and-trade for a player who made up to that amount, such as Naz Reid or Nickeil Alexander-Walker. Big picture, here's the important takeaway: The Magic were OK overpaying for Bane in raw terms because they felt the fit was one of the last pieces in their build-a-contender puzzle. The Grizzlies, despite their recent success, felt the opposite and took a deal that seemed too good a value to pass up. Finally, get your popcorn: Memphis has maximized its available assets — the Grizzlies have 10 firsts and three swaps in their war chest — for the moves that will inevitably follow as it retools the supporting cast around Morant and Jackson; starting-caliber small forwards and centers likely top the shopping list. Look for Orlando to stay active, too, playing small ball around its suddenly defined core. It's a great way to kick off transaction season because it sets the table for more deals to come. (Top photo of Desmond Bane and Franz Wagner: Justin Ford / Getty Images)
