Dallas Mavericks Move On From Anthony Davis

It was a trade that not only shocked the basketball world but the sports world in general. Last year, the Dallas Mavericks and LA Lakers swapped Luka Doncic (plus Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris) to the Lakers for Anthony Davis (plus Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick). Nearly a year to the day, the Mavericks have decided to move on from the Davis experiment, shipping him to the Washington Wizards in an eight-player deal that included draft picks and salary cap relief. 

To Washington:

Anthony Davis

Jaden Hardy

D’Angelo Russell

Dante Exum

To Dallas

Khris Middleton

AJ Johnson

Malaki Branham

Marvin Bagley III

2026 first round pick (from OKC)

2026 second round pick (from Phoenix)

2027 second round pick (from Chicago)

2029 second round pick (from Houston)

2030 first round pick (from Golden State, top 20 protected)

In just 29 games with the Mavs, Davis averaged just 20.2 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.8 blocks. While those numbers may seem impressive, they certainly aren’t franchise-changing. On the flip side, Doncic is averaging 31.3 points, 8 rebounds, 8.2 assists, and 1.5 steals while playing 69 games and counting for the Lakers. 

The trade that got GM Nico Harrison fired has now been completely undone, leaving the Mavs to salvage what they can from the wreckage.

The silver lining? Cooper Flagg. The 19-year-old rookie phenom, averaging 20.1 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 4.2 assists, is the perfect building block that Dallas desperately needs. By moving Davis and his massive contract, the Mavericks free up to $67 million in 2026⁠–27 salary and picked up two first-round picks and a trio of second-rounders. They've also positioned themselves to maximize their own lottery odds in what is expected to be a loaded 2026 draft class, as they currently hold the seventh-worst record with just 19 wins.

While the rebuild is now in full effect, Dallas faces the challenge of how to continue tearing down by moving role players like Max Christie, Daniel Gafford, Naji Marshall, and P.J. Washington, who all have reasonable contracts that could return more picks from teams looking to add depth for the playoff run. 

For Washington, it's an interesting gamble. They're pairing Davis, who will sit out the rest of this season injured, with newly acquired All-Star guard Trae Young in what seems to be a giant pivot from tanking and rebuilding through the lottery to win-now mode. The Wizards need to finish in the bottom four to keep their first-round pick from going to New York, so technically, Davis's injury actually helps short-term. But heading into next season’s training camp, they will have to figure out how to integrate two injury-prone All-Stars and young talent like Alex Sarr and Kyshawn George.

For a team that has, over the past five years, won 34, 35, 35, 15, and 18 games and currently sits at 13 wins this season, taking a big swing might not be the worst idea, as the Wizards need something for their fans to grasp onto. The question is, will this swing connect, or will they be left standing at the plate looking?