A day before the trade deadline hit, the Dallas Mavericks sent Anthony Davis to the Washington Wizards in a deal that brought back Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson, two first-round picks, and three second-rounders. It wasn’t hard to read between the lines. Davis was supposed to be the crown jewel from the Luka Doncic trade, so moving him now was Dallas admitting the whole thing didn’t work out.
The Mavericks thought they could build a contender around his defensive ability, but injuries made sure that never happened.
Jason Kidd spoke with reporters after the loss to the San Antonio Spurs, and he didn’t try to sugarcoat what went wrong, per Noah Weber. According to Kidd, the entire Anthony Davis experiment collapsed because the roster was never healthy at the same time.
“It was unfortunate, his health. We never got to see everyone together. Not just AD but Kyrie and with Coop. Unfortunately, we didn’t have that opportunity. But AD is an incredible basketball player and a great human being. We wish him the best in D.C.”
It’s hard to know what might’ve been, but Dallas clearly thought Davis would be the missing piece for a title run. That plan never made it to the court. Cooper Flagg, Anthony Davis, and Kyrie Irving were supposed to form a trio of former top picks, but they never played a single minute together.
Flagg has been logging heavy minutes and carrying the load, while Davis only appeared in 20 games this season before being moved. He put up 20.2 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 0.9 steals, and 1.8 blocks throughout his 29-game career with the team, but calf and hand injuries kept derailing things. As for Irving, he’s been out all season rehabbing a torn ACL.
The Mavericks created this mess themselves, though getting Flagg in last year’s lottery certainly helped ease the pain of losing Doncic. Moving Davis also gave them some breathing room financially, getting them under the luxury tax and away from the second apron. On top of that, they restocked their draft pick cupboard.
Taking a step back was the smart play if they wanted to build the right way around Flagg, and dealing Davis made it obvious whose team this is now.
Flagg has been playing like someone who belongs in the conversation with the league’s elite. His stats from the last four games tell the story. 37.7 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 4.5 assists. There’s no question he’s the guy going forward. The problem was that until Wednesday, the Mavericks didn’t have many realistic ways to build around him.
What Dallas got back from Washington includes a 2026 first-round pick that’s expected to come from the Oklahoma City Thunder, along with a 2030 first-rounder originally from the Golden State Warriors that carries top-20 protection.
When one adds it all up, the Mavericks turned Luka Doncic into Max Christie, the Los Angeles Lakers‘ 2029 first-round pick, two more future firsts, 29 games of Anthony Davis, and three second-rounders. For a player of Doncic’s ability, that’s a rough haul. Still, most people around Dallas seemed relieved once the trade went through on Wednesday.
What comes next is finding the right running mate for Flagg. Right now, the Mavericks can head into next season with a core of Flagg, Kyrie Irving, Dereck Lively II, Max Christie, and Naji Marshall, plus whoever they draft in June.
That setup gives the front office options. The roster is young enough and the money isn’t locked up in too many bad contracts, which matters as they try to put together a group that actually complements Flagg.
