Anthony Davis is in a rare and nearly impossible position. If almost any team acquired him, he would arrive in his new city with extreme fanfare. The New Orleans Pelicans treated him as a savior. To the Los Angeles Lakers, he and LeBron James represented a once-great franchise’s return to glory. But Davis no longer plays for the Pelicans or the Lakers. He plays for the Dallas Mavericks. And, in case you’ve been living under a rock, things aren’t going well in Dallas right now.
The fans are practically in an open revolt against the franchise after general manager Nico Harrison decided to trade franchise player Luka Dončić to the Lakers for a package headlined by Davis. Those fans have protested outside of the arena and been kicked out of games. Things have only gotten worse in the weeks since the deal was consummated. Another traded player, Quentin Grimes, has thrived in his new home of Philadelphia. Kyrie Irving tore an ACL, knocking him out not only for this season, but at least part of next year as well. And while Davis was stellar in his Dallas debut, he hasn’t played since because of an abdominal injury. The outlook for the Mavericks is getting bleak.
Kyrie Irving injury puts Mavericks in an unimaginably grim position, both short- and long-term
James Herbert
Davis gave an extended interview to Dana Larson of Mavericks TV on Saturday, and in it, he tried to calm Mavericks fans down by reminding them of what he can bring to the team.
“I know who I am as a player,” Davis said. “I’m top-75 of all time. I just wanted to let Dallas fans know — I’ve got y’all, I’m here, I’m here now. I know you lost a superstar in Luka, but you also gained a superstar in myself.”
Davis is technically correct. While the consensus surrounding the trade was the Mavericks received far too little for Dončić, Davis is still a superstar. Perhaps if he and the Mavericks eventually turn things around, he might be able to win the fan support that is currently lacking.
But he’s fighting an uphill battle because fandom is more complex than that. Dončić isn’t just a basketball player to fans in Dallas. He’s someone they watched grow a teenager adjusting to life in a new country into one of the very best basketball players in the world, someone who could occupy a similar place in their community to Dirk Nowitzki, who famously played 21 years for the Mavericks without ever wearing another NBA uniform. Davis is a superstar, but through no fault of his, he is also “the player we have instead of Luka Dončić” to a lot of fans in Dallas.
It might take a championship for him to change that. Irving’s injury makes winning one far more difficult. Davis has a lengthy history of injuries as well, and while the Mavericks are expected to be aggressive in seeking short-term upgrades over the summer, their asset base is ironically limited because of all of the picks they spent in the past trying to upgrade around Dončić. Superstar-level play is going to be the bare minimum for Davis if he hopes to win over the fans in Dallas. He’s also going to need close to impeccable health, a nearly perfect offseason from a front office that seemingly just whiffed the trade deadline, and a whole lot of luck when it comes to the roster he’s given moving forward.
