Any thought of the Golden State Warriors trading for Anthony Davis before the mid-season deadline has seemingly been taken off the table, with the franchise narrowly avoiding a potential nightmare after the All-Star big man suffered another injury blow on Thursday.
ESPN's Shams Charania reported on Friday that Davis has suffered ligament damage to his hand which could require surgery, almost certainly leaving the Mavericks with no choice but to stick with their injury prone star beyond the February 5 deadline.
Warriors may have narrowly avoided Anthony Davis nightmare
Davis was supposed to be arguably the biggest name potentially on the move in the coming weeks, but an already limited market due to his injury history and contract has surely ground to zero after news of this latest blow.
The Athletic's Sam Amick reported last week that Dallas had contacted Golden State themselves about a potential Davis trade, with an update in recent days that the Warriors hadn't completely shut the door on what would be a blockbuster move.
Surely the door would be shut now. Part of the intrigue in Davis would have been to get immediate help for a potential playoff push this season, but it appears like this latest injury could have him sidelined for months.
There is a real chance Davis -- one of the NBA's prime trade targets -- will be sidelined through the Feb. 5 NBA deadline. And possibly beyond, depending on the need for surgery. https://t.co/zQfmkaAbfw
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 9, 2026
This injury might have come at the right time for Golden State, allowing them to move on from any Davis thought and explore other moves before the deadline. Can you imagine if the Warriors had acquired Davis, parting ways with Draymond Green in the process, only for the 10x All-Star to suffer an injury such as this?
The Mavericks are now seemingly stuck with Davis for the moment despite their best intentions to move him. Given the injury could sideline him for almost the remainder of the season, Davis' value in the offseason could also be pretty limited. That makes thing even more brutal for Dallas given Davis was, of course, the primary return in the fateful Luka Doncic trade.
Davis' injury also proves why the Warriors and Jonathan Kuminga are seemingly mutually agreeing that the young forward won't play again before a trade is found in the coming weeks. A Kuminga injury now could be catastrophic to a trade, something neither Golden State nor Kuminga can afford as they look to go their seperate ways.
One thing we now know for sure is that Kuminga won't be part of a Davis deal, leaving more intrigue on what the Warriors could possibly do before the trade deadline.