Anthony Davis won't make his Mavericks debut Thursday vs. the Celtics as the center remains out with an abdominal strain.

Klay Thompson's scorching start carried the Dallas Mavericks to a 127-120 victory over the NBA champion Boston Celtics, the new-look Mavs turning the tables in the NBA Finals rematch.

When you take into account Boston's long stretch of uninspired play from Thanksgiving to January, it can be hard not to wonder.

This time around, the obvious candidate to be moved in this path would be Jaden Springer due to his $4 million salary and repeater luxury tax penalties that kick in on Boston’s payroll. If the Celtics want to clear out any other players (Xavier Tillman?) for a free agent on the buyout market, they would need to make that move proactively here.

After a fairly quiet NBA trade deadline by the Boston Celtics, the defending champs will now hit the buyout market to fill at least one open roster spot