Before star big man Anthony Davis became a Washington Wizard, he nearly joined the Portland Trail Blazers.
According to league insider Jake Fischer, one of the Mavericks‘ offers for Davis came from the Pacific Northwest. Specifically, the Blazers dangled a package centered on veteran forward Jerami Grant and multiple draft picks, which was ultimately turned down by co-interim GMs Matt Riccardi and Michael Finley.
“Sources say that the Blazers also contacted Dallas during the season to gauge the Mavericks’ interest in a Grant-centric package sweetened with draft capital in exchange for Anthony Davis,” reported Fischer. “Rather than trade for a player with 2 1/2 pricy seasons remaining on his contract at that point, Dallas shipped Davis to Washington in a deal that featured a modest return in terms of future draft picks but swiftly removed three burdensome contracts (Davis, D’Angelo Russell, and Jaden Hardy) from the Mavericks’ payroll.”
Anthony Davis only played 29 games for the Mavericks before he was traded to the Wizards for Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson, Malaki Branham, and draft capital. His tenure was an abject failure, with the Mavericks not even coming close to contention. What’s worse is that it came after years of prosperity in the Luka Doncic era, which ended only when Nico Harrison traded him for the oft-injured Davis.
As the situation grew increasingly unstable, the Mavericks knew they had to cut their losses and start fresh around Cooper Flagg, but finding the right deal was no easy feat. Multiple offers were made for the veteran big man, including the Blazers’ package, which would have seen Dallas get back a talented veteran scorer in Jerami Grant.
At 6’7″, he’s a versatile player on the wing who averages 18.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game on 45.3% shooting and 38.9% shooting from three. The problem for the Mavericks is his contract, which will pay him roughly $34 million per year through 2027-28.
We’ll never know how AD might have performed with the young Blazers, but it would be no worse than his current situation on the Wizards. They are both a car-cry from his peak Lakers days, but there was potential for greatness in Portland alongside guys like Deni Avdija, Scoot Henderson, and Donovan Clingan. There’s also sharpshooting point guard Damian Lillard, who could have made a formidable pairing with Davis.
In the end, it just wasn’t meant to be for Davis and the Blazers. If they want a regular DPOY candidate and former NBA champion of Davis’ caliber, they’ll have to do better than to offer Jerami Grant and a few draft picks. For the time being, they’ll just have to continue building up their team through the draft.
Meanwhile, in D.C., Davis knows not to keep his expectations high. Still, there is a chance to create something special there alongside Trae Young and a developing cast of young athletes. If worst comes to worst, Davis could always try to force his way out, just like he did with the Pelicans. Even now, despite his extensive injury history, there would be multiple teams lining up waiting to acquire his services.
