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ESPN's Stephen A. Smith believes that Anthony Davis is one of the reasons why Nico Harrison was let go. On Tuesday, the Dallas Mavericks fired their general manager after falling to 3-8 in the 2025-26 NBA season. Following the report about the Mavericks' decision, Smith gave his thoughts on the latest episode of "First Take."Smith claims that the team's difficulties this season are largely due to Davis' incapacity to maintain his health. The longtime basketball analyst said that things would've been different for the Mavericks if the star player had performed better."Sorry for Nico Harrison, good dude. But at the end of the day, you traded Luka Doncic," Smith said. "And if you trade Doncic, you can't be 3-8 on the season, with Anthony Davis already missing three games and having minimal impact to the success of the Mavericks."It's gonna come down to how Anthony Davis looks. Davis can't be ordinary, he has to be spectatular. Because if he's spectatular, averaging 28 and 12, if he did something like that -- like he was capable of and he was available, then Dallas would be winning more games and you wouldn't be in this situation."Davis appeared in the first five games of the season for the Mavericks, averaging 20.8 points, 10.2 rebounds and 1.2 blocks. However, Smith is demanding more production from the one-time NBA champion.He compared Luka Doncic's performance with the LA Lakers this season. The Slovenian star is averaging 37.1 ppg, 9.4 rpg and 9.1 apg through seven games to start the new year.Both players are set to play their first full regular season with their respective teams. However, it has been different since Anthony Davis has dealt with left lower leg soreness during his fifth game of the season. The injury has limited him from being with the team.The Mavericks are encouraged to trade Anthony Davis following Nico Harrison's firingAfter the Mavericks decided to let go of Nico Harrison, there has been some chatter about a potential trade. Anthony Davis, the star player the team acquired after trading Doncic, is involved in this trade.According to CBS Sports' Sam Quinn, it would be better for Dallas to sit Davis and find a potential trade partner."Honestly if you’re the Mavericks you might need to sit Anthony Davis out until a trade happens. You can’t risk him getting hurt again, that trade is too important," Quinn posted on X.ESPN's Tim MacMahon also reported that several executives and scouts suggest trading AD. According to MacMahon's report, the Mavericks would be in a better situation if they moved on from Davis."It's a path that several executives and scouts from other franchises believe would be logical for the Mavs as Dallas pivots to prioritize building around Flagg," MacMahon reported.The Mavericks have a bright future with rookie forward Cooper Flagg. But AD's role in the plan is still unsure.
