It's been a whirlwind period of reporting when it comes to Anthony Davis' latest injury, but it might have just given the Golden State Warriors an unlikely point of leverage in a potential Michael Porter Jr. trade.
Despite previous suggestions that Davis would require surgery on his hand and potentially miss the rest of the season, ESPN's Shams Charania has now reported that Davis doesn't require surgery and will be re-evaluated in six weeks.
Warriors could renew interest in Anthony Davis trade
Not only is the injury timeline better than first thought, Charania also reports that the Dallas Mavericks have subsequently renewed trade talks around Davis with multiple interested teams.
Does that include the Warriors? Well they were one of the teams linked to the 10x All-Star prior to his latest injury, with The Athletic's Sam Amick reporting that Dallas had reached out to Golden State on a potential trade.
Davis' latest injury will have only harmed his value even further, but at the very least there's now a possibility of him returning before the end of the regular season, and therefore making him a viable option for the Warriors or other playoff contenders.
As reported earlier, the Mavericks have had renewed trade talks around Davis with multiple interested teams and those conversations are continuing as Dallas stands 15-25, 12th in the Western Conference, and prioritizing the big-picture outlook around Cooper Flagg. https://t.co/Pb61YUM8Pv
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 13, 2026
Given they would have to trade Draymond Green to make the salary work in a trade, there's a chance Golden State will simply rule out a move for Davis before the deadline. Fans, in particular, won't be thrilled with the prospect as the 33-year-old's hand issue adds to a now lengthy injury history.
However, that doesn't mean the Warriors can't use Davis' availability as a point of leverage in discussions with the Nets over a Porter trade. Mike Dunleavy Jr. and the front office could now suggest they have an alternative option in Davis, one that's unlikely to cost the same level of draft capital given Porter's value is only surging thanks to a career-best year in Brooklyn.
Perhaps the Nets call Golden State's bluff and don't truly believe they have interest in Davis, or that they would actually move on from Green. Regardless, Davis seemingly being a trade target again isn't a bad thing for the Warriors -- the more big name players available, the less sellers could foreseeably demand on the market.
Golden State's ability to convince rival front office's of their optionality is going to be key over the coming weeks before the deadline, particularly when their leverage is already limited by how Jonathan Kuminga's situation has played out in such disastrous fashion.