In life, we often serve as our own harshest critics, a sentiment echoed by CBS Sports’ NBA analyst Ashley Nicole Moss on Sunday. In a discussion with Jordan Giorgio about the significant Luka Dončić-Anthony Davis trade, Moss speculated that both the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers might pursue further moves before Thursday’s trade deadline. She suggested that Anthony Davis could have a brief tenure in Dallas and proposed a potential trade that would send Davis to the Miami Heat in exchange for Jimmy Butler.
“I’d be interested if Anthony Davis is a piece that ultimately the Mavericks potentially use to try to get Jimmy Butler. They weren’t gonna send Luka to Miami; in all intents and purposes, they were probably gonna require a lot more than Miami was willing to give up,” Moss said. “But maybe a swap between Anthony Davis and Jimmy Butler is more feasible…If you ask me which of the two is going to make the bigger move by the trade deadline — outside of what just transpired — my money would be on the Mavericks possibly going after Jimmy Butler.”
However, after some reflection, Moss felt differently just a few hours later. In response to a CBS Sports post on X (formerly Twitter), Moss expressed that her original take was “trash.”
yeah, this take is trash 🚮 https://t.co/w7p2F2OJOF
— Ashley Nicole Moss (@AshNicoleMoss) February 3, 2025
While we might want to disagree with Moss, we can’t help but understand her perspective. Trading for Butler could be on the Mavericks’ radar, but swapping Dončić for Davis only to then trade Davis for a 35-year-old Butler raises significant questions. To add nuance, the trade the Mavericks did make also leaves much to be critiqued. So, while the take may have been harshly self-criticized, we can appreciate the line of thought behind it.
