Rich Paul recently launched a new podcast, “Game Over”, with former ESPN host Max Kellerman. Since the podcast launched, Paul has already made several comments that have gone viral on social media.
Earlier this month, it was reported that Paul was demanding that the Mavericks trade away Anthony Davis. However, Paul recently offered his side of the story to set the record straight.
Rich Paul Denies Wanting Mavericks to Trade Anthony Davis
Davis originally came to the Mavericks last February in the infamous Luka Doncic trade. Unfortunately, Davis played only 9 games in his first season with the Mavericks due to injury.
This season, Davis had been playing better, but he’s once again injured. The star big man was averaging 20.4 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks before getting injured at the beginning of January.
After Davis suffered his injury, Paul said the Mavericks should have moved Davis sooner. However, in a recent podcast episode, Paul denies ever wanting Davis to be moved.
Rich Paul says it’s NOT TRUE that he has demanded the Mavericks to trade Anthony Davis 😳
“I know what was said. That thing was aggregated. This is the power of the internet. If you’re wondering why Rich Paul has a podcast, this is part of the reason why… The reality of it is,… pic.twitter.com/ctWNnlpR0x
— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) January 25, 2026
“I know what was said. That thing was aggregated. This is the power of the internet. If you’re wondering why Rich Paul has a podcast, this is part of the reason why… The reality of it is, that’s fake news,” Paul said, regarding his reported trade demand.
Many have questioned why an agent would have a podcast, but Paul clearly thinks he needs a platform to defend himself. However, this isn’t the only controversy Paul has caused since his show debuted, so it’s fair to wonder if it’s doing more harm than good.
“When you have a player that’s on a team, it’s not like you want guys to move for the sake of being moved. If a guy is happy where they are, great. You care about people’s family, you care about the guys well being, and you care if they’re happy,” Paul said.
There’s been no reason to think Davis himself wants out of Dallas, and as the major returning asset in the Doncic trade, the Mavericks may not want to move on from the veteran.
Paul supposedly wanted Davis to get traded to a team that would offer him a max contract, and the thinking was that the Mavericks wouldn’t be. However, Paul made it clear that he doesn’t care what team pays his players.
“From a business perspective, you want guys to be paid. 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,” Paul explained. “Long as my guy is in position to get paid, that’s all I want to do… this idea I don’t want a player somewhere, that’s not true.”
Mavericks Moving Forward with Davis for Now
After suffering a hand injury earlier this month, Davis was expected to be sidelined for six weeks. The thinking is that Davis may return in late February or early March.
Without Davis, the Mavericks have actually been playing well of late. The team has won four of its last five games and is now sitting at 19-27 overall. Star rookie Cooper Flagg is leading the team with 18.8 points per game.
The Mavericks have also been without star guard Kyrie Irving, who tore his ACL at the end of last season. It remains to be seen if either Irving or Davis have a spot in Dallas for the future.
