Anthony

Davis

Davis, who suffered ligament damage in his left hand in early January, is progressing in his recovery. However, the Wizards’ forward/center still has not been cleared for basketball activities. For fantasy managers who can afford to take their chances on Davis being active at some point, he’s worth holding onto in an IL slot. That said, managers in leagues where the playoffs will begin before Davis’ re-evaluation will have to seek alternatives.

Two days after NBA insider Chris Haynes reported that Davis was unlikely to play again this season, Dawkins said that he anticipates the forward/center returning at some point. In the short term, Davis will return to Dallas to work with his medical team as he recovers from ligament damage in his left hand. Dawkins also noted that the 4-to-6 week timeline provided in mid-January is closer to 6-to-10 weeks. If Davis were to play this season, the timeline suggests he won’t be available until sometime in March.

With the Wizards likely focused on doing all they can to avoid losing their 2026 first-round pick, which is top-8 protected, to the Knicks, Davis not making his debut for the team until next season would be an unsurprising development. It was reported in mid-January that Davis’ left hand injury wouldn’t require surgery to repair the ligament damage. Will he go through with the procedure now that it’s reportedly been decided that Davis won’t play this season? For fantasy managers who have been stashing Davis in an IL spot, it’s time to move on.

The firsts include the Thunder pick in 2026 and a protected Warriors pick in 2030. Davis is set to be re-evaluated in late February, but managers shouldn’t expect to see him play much down the stretch as the Wizards look to improve their lottery odds. However, Davis joins Trae Young and a talented young core in Washington, and they should add another top pick this summer. Davis will form an elite defensive tandem down low with Alex Sarr that should allow Washington to return to the postseason as early as 2027, assuming they plan to keep him around.

This is an update from a previous report from Charania that indicated that AD would likely undergo surgery and miss several months. Davis took to social media to say those reports were false, so it isn’t surprising that Charania provided an updated timeline. This will have Davis being re-evaluated in late February, which makes a trade far more likely. Until that happens (or doesn’t), Daniel Gafford should start at center.

Shams also notes that the Mavericks have renewed trade talks for Davis, and he could be moved to a contender before the deadline, which would shorten his return date and get him established with a new team. This latest development means we may have seen the last of Davis in a Dallas uniform, ending one of the shortest and most bizarre runs in recent memory. Davis has appeared in just 29 games for the Mavericks after the improbable blockbuster deal that swapped him for Luka Dončić. Fantasy managers holding onto Davis can safely drop him to free up a valuable IL spot, as he’s not expected to be back prior to the postseason, if at all. Daniel Gafford should continue to soak up minutes at center, though given his injury history, Moussa Cisse should see a fair share of minutes, too. Naji Marshall and PJ Washington will be heavily involved in the rotation, and all three of Cisse, Marshall and Washington are worth snagging off the waiver wire if available.

Davis injured his left hand during the fourth quarter of Thursday’s loss to the Jazz. According to Charania, a second opinion on the injury’s severity will be sought. If surgery is required, Davis could miss “a number of months.” If surgery isn’t needed, Davis may be looking at a six-week timeline at least. With the Mavericks’ forward/center being the subject of trade rumors, an extended absence would likely put those to rest. As for Dallas’ approach to the rest of the season, losing Davis could affect Kyrie Irving’s return from the ACL tear he suffered last March. Dallas’s first-round pick in June’s draft is the last one that they’ll have complete control over until 2031, so the front office could decide that punting on the rest of this season is in the franchise’s best interest.

Davis was effective in his 35 minutes of game action, finishing as one of three Mavericks players to score at least 20 points and one of two to collect double-digit rebounds. Thursday’s double-double marked his 13th of the season. However, the veteran big man exited the floor late in the fourth quarter after suffering a hand injury and didn’t return. His status moving forward will certainly be worth monitoring from a fantasy basketball standpoint.

Davis didn’t have a good night shooting the basketball, but rebounds and blocked shots helped compensate. The 16 rebounds were one shy of his season-high, and the Mavericks’ forward/center has blocked seven shots over his last two games. With Daniel Gafford (10 points, 13 rebounds, one steal and one blocked shot) in the starting lineup, Davis can lurk more defensively, giving more opportunities to block shots from the weak side. While being the lone big on the floor may boost Davis’ offensive value, sharing the court with another big helps him defensively.

The decision to replace Ryan Nembhard in the starting lineup with Daniel Gafford (9/8/1/0/2 in 19 minutes) pushed Davis to his preferred power forward role, and he had one of his most impactful games of the season. In addition to recording his 11th double-double of the season, the Mavericks’ forward/center tallied a season-high five blocked shots. Davis is more comfortable at the four, but how much he gets to play there depends on Gafford’s availability. The Mavericks play three games in Week 12, starting with the Kings on Tuesday.