The Anthony Davis trade rumors didn’t cool off anytime soon. They exploded again after ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins openly called for Dallas to move both Davis and Kyrie Irving while building around rookie Cooper Flagg.
During NBA Countdown on Jan. 14, Perkins said he wasn’t just “considering” trading Davis. He’d trade the 33-year-old Irving, too, arguing Dallas needs to fully commit to a rebuild instead of waiting on a Davis-Kyrie sample size that may never arrive.
That take landed at the exact moment Davis’ hand injury has become a major story and search trend, and it comes just hours before Dallas hosts the Denver Nuggets in a game that will draw a national audience on ESPN.
Kendrick Perkins: If You’re Rebuilding, “Then Rebuild”
Perkins pushed the idea that the Mavericks should stop waiting for a meaningful “sample size” of Davis and Irving together, and instead take the aggressive route: cash out on veterans, stack draft picks and young pieces, and build the roster timeline around Flagg.
“I’m not just considering trading Anthony Davis, I’m trading the 33-year-old Kyrie Irving too,” Perkins said during the segment, adding that if Dallas is talking rebuild, it should go all the way.
That’s a jarring stance for a team that made a massive pivot to land Davis, but it’s also why the clip started to travel so fast online, it’s the kind of “do it now” urgency that fuels trade-deadline speculation.
Anthony Davis Hand Injury Adds Fuel to the Fire
The timing matters, because Davis’ hand injury has turned into one of the most searched Mavericks topics this week.
According to an Associated Press report shared by NBA.com, Davis is expected to miss about six weeks and won’t need surgery, with the Mavericks planning to re-evaluate him in roughly that window.
Earlier reporting also noted the injury included ligament damage and that surgery was at least a consideration depending on medical opinions, another reason his situation has become trade-rumor accelerant ahead of the Feb. 5 trade deadline.
Before the injury, Davis had played 20 games this season and was averaging 20.4 points, 11.1 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game.
Where Kyrie Irving Fits Into the Conversation
Perkins didn’t stop at Davis; he explicitly attached Irving to the “sell” side of the argument, pointing to age and timeline.
Irving is 33 and still rehabbing the torn ACL that ended his 2024-25 season, when he averaged 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists.
Dallas can frame that as a reason to stay patient, get healthy, then see what the roster looks like with Flagg in the middle of it. Perkins sees it differently: if the Mavericks truly want to build around their young cornerstone, he believes the cleanest move is to align everything to that window now, even if it’s painful.
Either way, Perkins just poured gasoline on a rumor cycle that was already running hot — and if Davis’ hand injury keeps him sidelined into February, the Mavericks are going to keep getting asked the same question: are they trying to win soon, or starting over on purpose?
Mavericks Urged To Move Anthony Davis & Other Star Ahead of NBA Trade Deadline