Mark Cuban Denies Mavericks Trading Anthony Davis

Merlin sees the Mavericks snuffing out trade rumors for Anthony Davis after minority owner Mark Cuban bluntly emailed, "We won't. We want to try to win." That matters because Dallas is 4-11, fired GM Nico Harrison (who brought Davis to town), and ESPN reported the team might explore the market ahead of February — but Davis is injured (out since Oct. 29 with a calf strain), highly paid, and still viewed by ownership as part of a potential core with Kyrie Irving and rookie Cooper Flagg. Merlin notes the tension: Davis is a top big when healthy (24.7 PPG, 11.6 RPG last season) but carries injury baggage and a hefty contract, which lowers trade return value. For now Cuban prefers to see the experiment play out, though poor results could force a rethink.