Dallas Mavericks minority owner Mark Cuban said that Anthony Davis will not be traded, according to The Athletic’s Joe Vardon.

“We won’t. We want to try to win,” Cuban said Wednesday in an email when asked if he and Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont would pursue a deal for Davis.

Despite Dallas’ intentions, the start of the season has been difficult. The Mavericks are currently 4–11 and sit 13th in the Western Conference. Their slow start, combined with injuries and limited future trade assets, has fueled speculation about Davis’ future. 

That speculation comes in the fallout of Nov. 11's firing of former GM and president of basketball operations Nico Harrison, known for orchestrating the trade that sent Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers and brought Davis to Dallas.

In Harrison’s absence, Cuban has taken on more of a leadership role, functioning in what has been reported as a "GM by committee" recently. Cuban sold a majority share of the team to the Adelson family for about $3.5 billion in 2023. He now serves as an advisor to Patrick Dumont, the Sands Corporation president and COO, who is Miriam Adelson’s son-in-law. Despite Cuban’s involvement, Dumont makes the final decisions for the franchise.

Cuban, who publicly stated he was "not involved" in the trade that sent Dončić to LA and "didn't agree with it," reportedly had been pushing for Dumont to fire Harrison before his dismissal. 

Although Davis has been with the Mavericks since February of last season, it still feels early to fully evaluate his fit with the team, given how little he has played. 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 just five games and has missed the last 10 with a left calf strain. The team has remained cautious, avoiding any risk of reinjury. Dallas announced that he will be re-evaluated in 7-10 days.

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. 

Point guard Kyrie Irving continues to recover from a torn ACL, prompting head coach Jason Kidd to experiment with using No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg, a 6-foot-9 forward, at point guard. However, the experiment was short-lived, and he has since returned to his natural position at forward, yielding positive results. He is averaging 15.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists through 15 starts.

The Mavericks’ next game is against the Knicks.