The Dallas Mavericks flipped Anthony Davius to the Washington Wizards for a future draft haul, but what is the long-term vision in Texas?
The trade that brought Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks was ill-fated from the start, and just one year later, the front office has attempted to reverse it.
On Tuesday, 367 days after the Mavericks sent Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 first-round pick, Dallas waved the white flag on the three-year title window centered on Davis that Nico Harrison has promised.
In exchange for Davis, Jaden Hardy, D'Angelo Russell, and Dante Exum, the Mavericks received Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson, Malaki Branham, Marvin Bagley III, two first-round picks, and three second-round picks from the Washington Wizards.
Where Do Dallas Mavericks Go From Here?
It's laughable that Davis, despite a long injury history, garnered Dallas more draft capital than Luka Doncic did. However, it's worth noting that the 2029 selection owed to them by the Lakers is unprotected, and by then, Doncic could have feasibly signed elsewhere.
The picks inbound from Washington, unlike the ones from Hollywood, are loaded with protections.
The 2026 pick is coming from Washington via Oklahoma City and will almost certainly be the last pick in the draft. The 2030 first-round pick is from the Golden State Warriors and is protected in the top-20. Given the Warriors' aging timeline, that first-round pick will likely turn into two distant second-rounders if it doesn't convey.
Knowing that neither Khris Middleton nor Marvin Bagley III is a long-term piece in Dallas, the Mavericks can hope that Branham (22 years old) and Johnson (21 years old) can blossom next to Cooper Flagg. However, neither has shown that they can be rotation guys in the NBA.
Both Branham and Johnson are now heading to their third NBA team, and neither has played regular minutes at any point in their careers. The Mavericks, in order to unload Davis' salary, added two late first-round picks and low-risk, low-reward youngsters who were languishing on the bench for one of the worst teams in the NBA.
The Wizards, meanwhile, have gone all-in, hoping that Trae Young and Davis will be able to lead their young core moving forward.
This deal was clearly made with a lot of hope and desperation. Hopefully, it pays off, although the odds point to Dallas simply becoming a rebuilding team with one bright spot in Flagg.
I guess that's not a major change from where they've been all season.