Rich Paul calls Anthony Davis’ alleged trade demand ‘fake news’

Dallas The Mavericks have been at the center of trade talks for a while, since it was assumed that they were willing to move Anthony Davis before the deadline. With his recent injury, his trade value dropped, but that didn’t mean the people around him might still want him traded. Davis’ agent, Rich Paulwas the person who reportedly demanded that the Mavericks trade Davis, but he recently came out and bluffed the news.

“I know what’s been said. That thing is aggregated. This is the power of the Internet,” Paul said on the Game Over podcast. “If you’re wondering why Rich Paul has a podcast, this is part of the reason why… In reality, it’s fake news. When you have a player that’s on the team, it’s not like you want guys to move to be moved. If the guy is happy where he is, great. You care about people’s family, they care about them being happy and you being happy. You want guys to get paid.

Rich Paul Says It’s NOT TRUE He Demanded Mavericks Trade Anthony Davis 😳

“I know what’s been said. That thing is aggregated. This is the power of the Internet. If you’re wondering why Rich Paul has a podcast, this is one of the reasons why… The reality is… pic.tvitter.com/ctVNnlpR0k

— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) January 25, 2026

“I really don’t care where the money comes from, the money can come from the 31st team in the NBA for all I care. As long as my guy is in a position to get paid, that’s all I want to do … this idea that I don’t want a player somewhere, that’s not true.”

There were also reports that while Paul wanted his client to be traded, Davis had the opposite ideaaccording to ESPN’s Tim McMahon.

“There are trade talks, his agent Rich Paul has made it clear he thinks it’s in AD’s best interest to be traded. AD doesn’t necessarily agree though. I’m told he’s not pushing to be moved and is comfortable here in Dallas,” McMahon reported.

It’s hard to know who and what to believe these days, but the truth about the Mavericks is that they haven’t been able to see their team at full strength this season due to injuries. Davies probably sees potential in the squad and hopes they can sneak into the Play-Ins once everyone is available.