Mavs' Anthony Davis out months for hand surgery, sources say - ESPN
Dallas Mavericks star Anthony Davis is expected to undergo surgery to repair ligament damage in his left hand and miss several months, sources told ESPN.
Davis season is over in Dallas, sources said, given the prognosis and the Mavs' direction at 15-25 and 12th in the Western Conference. This June's NBA draft is also the last one in which the Mavericks have control of their first-round pick until 2031.
In a fascinating development, ever since the severity of Davis' hand injury was known on Friday, the Mavericks are having renewed Davis trade talks with multiple interested teams, sources said. If moved to a playoff contender — such as previously interested teams the Toronto Raptors and Atlanta Hawks — the return timeline could allow Davis to return during the postseason while establishing himself for the long-term elsewhere, giving the 10-time All-Star's prospective next franchise a multiyear window at a lesser trade cost.
Davis injured his hand while defending Utah's Lauri Markkanen on a drive late in the Mavs' road loss to the Jazz on Thursday, a game in which Davis posted 21 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and one block in 35 minutes of action.
A variety of injuries have limited Davis to only 29 regular season games in a Mavericks uniform since he arrived in Dallas from Los Angeles as the centerpiece of the return for Luka Doncic in the controversial trade in early February.
The Mavs, who are prioritizing the long-term outlook while building around Rookie of the Year candidate Cooper Flagg, are 10-10 with Davis in the lineup and 5-15 without him this season.
In 20 games this season, Davis has averaged 20.4 points, 11.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.7 blocks.


