DALLAS -- Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont has requested medical data indicating that Anthony Davis is not at risk of aggravating his left calf strain before giving a green light for the 10-time All-Star big man to return, sources told ESPN on Wednesday.
Davis is listed as questionable for Wednesday's home game against the Phoenix Suns. It is the third consecutive game he has had that designation on the injury report, but he will miss his seventh consecutive game.
He originally targeted his return for Saturday's road game against the Washington Wizards, but there was a disagreement between Mavs director of health and performance Johann Bilsborough and Davis' personal medical staff on whether that was prudent, sources said. Davis was held out after Dumont sided with Bilsborough, preferring to err on the side of caution, sources said.
Dumont's involvement in the decision was a strong indication of his eroded trust in general manager Nico Harrison, who was fired Tuesday morning. Harrison had been in favor of Davis returning, sources said.
There is concern about Davis suffering a potentially catastrophic injury if the calf strain is not completely healed, as happened with Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton, who ruptured his Achilles tendon in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
Davis has played in only 14 games, plus a pair of play-in outings, since arriving in Dallas as the headliner in the return of the controversial Luka Doncic trade that outraged the Mavericks' fan base.
Davis was recovering from an abdominal injury at the time of the trade, and he rushed to return for the team's first home game after the deal, sustaining a related adductor strain after dominating the first half of a Feb. 8 win over the Houston Rockets. That adductor strain sidelined Davis for the next six weeks.
