Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis will play against his former team, the Los Angeles Lakers, on Friday, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. Davis has missed the last 14 games this season due to a calf strain he suffered on Oct. 29. This will be the first time he has played against the Lakers since being traded.
Despite joining the team last February, Davis has played in only 14 games for the Mavericks. Last season, he appeared in just nine games after suffering an adductor strain in his Mavericks debut, which sidelined him for 18 games. This season, the 32-year-old has played in only five games, with the Mavericks taking a cautious approach.
When healthy, the 10-time All-Star has performed at a high level, averaging 20.8 points and 10.2 rebounds per game this season.
After missing the playoffs last season and starting this season 3–8, the Mavericks fired former president of basketball operations and general manager Nico Harrison. Harrison had brokered the blockbuster trade that sent Luka Dončić to the Lakers and Davis to the Mavericks.
Davis was surprised when the Mavericks decided to let Harrison go. In Harrison’s place, the Mavericks have adopted a GM-by-committee approach. One of the lead decision-makers has been former Mavericks majority owner Mark Cuban.
Cuban, who bought the Mavericks in 2000, sold a majority share of the team to the Adelson family for about $3.5 billion in 2023. He now serves as an adviser to Patrick Dumont, the Sands Corporation president and COO and Miriam Adelson’s son-in-law.
Cuban recently said the team has no desire to trade Davis despite the slow start, Davis’ limited availability, and the arrival of Cooper Flagg. Davis also did not express much concern about the trade rumors. Despite Cuban’s involvement, Dumont makes the final decisions for the franchise.
On the other side of Friday’s matchup, Davis will face Dončić, a player he has often been compared against since the trade. Dončić helped lead the Lakers to a three seed before their first-round exit last postseason.
This season, Dončić is the team’s leading scorer with 35.2 points per game and is averaging 9.2 assists and 8.8 rebounds. The Lakers are 13-4 and second in the West.
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