"TRADE AD FOR ANYTHING": Mavericks fans want Anthony Davis gone after disastrous preseason loss to Hornets

Several Dallas Mavericks fans were livid with Anthony Davis after the team's 120-116 preseason loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday. Davis had 12 points, four rebounds and one assist. He shot 50.0%.

However, some of the team's flaws due to Davis playing at power forward on offense and center on defense came to light. He ended the night with the worst +/- among starters at -24.

The Mavericks didn't have enough spacing to work with on offense after deploying another center alongside Davis, who prefers to play at the four. Meanwhile, defensively, he was seemingly slower than usual on getting out on the perimeter and guarding players outside the paint.

Mavericks General Manager Nico Harrison emphasized defense when he swapped Luka Doncic with Anthony Davis as the franchise star in a polarizing decision that still baffles many. After Davis failed to deliver on Friday, the Mavericks fans, who remain sour about the move, called for the 10x All-Star's trade.

Here's how they reacted:

SJ

@SJBasketball8

TRADE AD FOR ANYTHING. GET OUT COOPER’S WAY. THIS SHIT IS HIS

Uncle Block

@517to214

The Anthony Davis at the 4 minutes aren't going to be net positive and all the lineups with PJ and Coop at the 3 and 4 are going to be some of the best in the league.

Jacob

@JacoborJacob

@TheMavsBlog Never made sense to trade for a 4 when the Mavs already had so many good 4s

moose | broken judge stan

@roadto80pct

ad stopped being lebron’s teammate and they went from calling him “could be bitw on any night” to a bum who doesn’t fit in the modern nba lmao the hate remained but the fake love went away anyways i think it’s best for both parties if mavs and ad work together on a trade

one bucket awa another 🇵🇸

@SnackPr0tein

it’s not ever gonna happen for me with Anthony Davis

Otis IV

@OtisIVKC

He's just not that dude, never has been.

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The sample size is just not enough for any Anthony Davis criticism

The Mavericks haven't seen enough of Anthony Davis and this new-look Mavericks team to draw any conclusions. Davis remains an elite two-way big man in the NBA, who can play the four or five. While the spacing issues and Davis's lack of size against bigger and bulkier centers can be problematic, they are solvable.

The Mavericks have the depth to make either work. Davis has the IQ to make reads on offense to play at power forward and become the offensive hub for brief stretches. He won't clog the paint that way for his frontcourt pairings, mainly Cooper Flagg, Dereck Lively and Daniel Gafford.

Davis is also working his way back into shape after coming into camp heavier than his usual weight. His official weight was 15 lbs more. Davis said it was a deliberate decision as he's lost weight over the season previously, impacting his game in the post.

It was also just the Mavericks' second preseason game. They are installing new schemes on both ends, influenced by recent assistant coaching hires after several personnel changes under Jason Kidd's staff.