AJ Johnson could be the Dallas Mavericks' long-term project from the haul received in the Anthony Davis trade.
The Dallas Mavericks' decision to trade Anthony Davis to the Washington Wizards was more about the future benefits of offloading an aging star's contract rather than the immediate haul that came with it.
Davis was sent to the nation's capital at the trade deadline in exchange for Khris Middleton, Marvin Bagley III, AJ Johnson and two first-round draft picks. Malaki Branham was also included, but he was flipped for reserve point guard Tyus Jones.
Middleton, 34, isn't a part of the Mavs' long-term picture and could find his way onto another team this offseason once his contract expires. Bagley has shown flashes of potential, but we are deep enough into the former No. 2 overall pick's career to see what his peak is, and it's not at the level he was once projected.
That leaves Johnson, who at just 21 years old, could be a fascinating experiment as the Mavericks collect young building blocks to surround new franchise centerpiece Cooper Flagg.
The keyword here is "could", because despite being a former first-round pick, Johnson - suddenly the second-youngest player on the roster behind Flagg - is now on his third NBA team and hasn't carved out a solid role since jumping to the pros a year and a half ago. That jump hasn't happened yet in Dallas, either.
Nonetheless, the shooting guard offers plus length and an intriguing offensive bag that could turn into a reliable playmaking scoring option one day.
Johnson was drafted No. 24 overall by the Milwaukee Bucks in 2024 but appeared in just seven games last season before getting traded to Washington, where his potential began to brighten.
In 22 games with the Wizards last season, Johnson posted 9.1 points and 3.1 rebounds in 27 minutes a night. He showed that, despite low shooting efficiency, he could still fill it up and facilitate for his teammates.
This season, however, has been a different story. Johnson all but lost his spot in the Washington rotation as young players Tre Johnson and Kyshawn George started to shine.
In 25 appearances and 8.6 minutes per game, the Fresno, California native AJ Johnson averaged just 2.8 points before getting sent to Dallas.
The Mavs won't be competing for the postseason with a 19-35 record at the All-Star break, so Johnson could begin to see more minutes in head coach Jason Kidd's lineup through the rest of the year. There is value in letting younger guys get some run to help scope what traits they might offer to future lineups and to show how they've progressed.
Except ... we're still waiting on that. Kidd has only played Johnson in three games, where he's seen the floor for just 11 total minutes.
Kidd has mentioned that he's emphasizing development at this break in the schedule, so while the Mavs already have a crop of proven young talent to pair next to Flagg for the future, the biggest signs of development will come from hungry guys like Johnson who are out to prove how they can fit into that vision.
The raw abilities are there for another dynamic wing to be integrated into the Cooper Flagg era if the development begins to show.