Rumors of the Mavericks trading Anthony Davis have swirled over the past month. Would this 9-16 Dallas squad trading AD actually have an impact on the 23-1 OKC Thunder?
The short answer is yes, and it actually may be more significant than one may initially imagine.
Thunder would be elated by Anthony Davis trade out of Dallas
The Mavs and Thunder obviously both play in the Western Conference. Everything Dallas does impacts OKC to an extent since the teams play each other often and are both competing to reach the NBA Finals in the West.
For example, Luka Doncic's revenge on the Mavs following last year's trade affects the Thunder in both a negative and positive manner, since the Lakers play in the West as well.
In fact, the Doncic trade led to the Mavs missing the playoffs, which helped the Thunder make their run since they had one less contender to worry about.
The Mavs' Nico Harrison firing also signaled a potential rebuild. If Dallas does indeed decide to tear things down -- which a Davis trade would likely lead to -- the Thunder wouldn't have to seriously worry about the Mavericks for a few years.
Davis moving to Eastern Conference would be ideal for Thunder
There is a potential catch with a possible Davis trade, though. Similar to Doncic, trading AD to another Western Conference contender would only give the Thunder a different squad to be concerned with.
The Thunder would truly benefit if AD was traded to the Eastern Conference.
Davis being traded would likely remove the Mavericks from serious contention for at least a couple of years while they rebuild around Cooper Flagg. AD landing in the Eastern Conference would be one less star to worry about out West, which would prove to help Oklahoma City.
The Chicago Bulls have consistently been mentioned as a suitor for Davis. Jamal Collier of ESPN previously reported the Bulls' potential interest in the veteran big man.
Frankly, Davis ending up in Chicago would be the perfect scenario for the Thunder. The Bulls may compete for a playoff spot, but they probably won't make the NBA Finals even if they acquire Davis.
As a result, the Thunder would not even need to be concerned with AD if they reach the Finals for a second consecutive season.
In the end, the Mavs haven't been an issue for Oklahoma City this year even with Davis. OKC cruised to a 132-111 win over Dallas on Friday night, and the Thunder limited Davis to only two points.
Still, Davis is a tremendous player. A Mavs-Bulls trade would only help the Thunder as they look to repeat as NBA Champions.