The Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis trade will go down as one of the most lopsided deals in recent NBA memory - and maybe even league history. For the Dallas Mavericks, it was a move that never made sense on paper, and it unraveled just as painfully in practice. Now, with Anthony Davis headed to Washington and former GM Nico Harrison no longer calling the shots, Dallas is officially closing the book on a chapter fans would rather forget.
Let’s be clear: Davis is no slouch. He’s an NBA champion, a member of the league’s 75th Anniversary Team, and when healthy, still one of the most dominant two-way bigs in the game.
But that’s the catch - *when healthy. * And that’s where this trade always felt like a gamble Dallas didn’t need to take.
Swapping a young, generational offensive engine like Luka for an aging star with a long injury history was a swing that didn’t just miss - it knocked the wind out of the franchise.
Since arriving in Dallas, Davis has struggled to stay on the court, and the Mavericks have struggled to stay in the win column. They’re currently sliding toward the lottery, losers of six straight, while Luka is leading the league in scoring and has the Lakers firmly in the Western Conference playoff mix at 31-19. It’s the kind of split-screen that haunts a front office.
But for all the pain the trade caused, there’s at least one reason for Mavs fans to look ahead with hope - Cooper Flagg. Last year’s collapse gave Dallas the ping pong luck they needed to land the No. 1 overall pick, and they used it to grab a player who’s already living up to the hype. Flagg’s poise, skill, and motor have been on full display, and his emergence likely made it easier for the front office to pull the plug on the Davis experiment.
Head coach Jason Kidd, speaking after the team’s latest loss to the Spurs, pointed to injuries as the biggest reason the roster never came together the way they’d hoped. “It was unfortunate, just health,” Kidd said.
“We never got to see everyone together, so not just AD, but [Kyrie Irving] with Coop. So unfortunately we didn’t have that opportunity, but AD is an incredible basketball player and a great human being, so we wish him the best in DC.”
Kyrie, who tore his ACL last March just weeks after Davis arrived, hasn’t suited up this season. Dereck Lively II, a promising young big man and an important piece of the team’s future, has also been sidelined since before Thanksgiving with a foot injury and won’t return this year. That’s a lot of firepower sitting in street clothes.
With Davis now in Washington, Dallas has a chance to hit the reset button and build around Flagg. Kyrie is expected back either later this season or at the start of next, and if the lottery gods smile on them again, the Mavs could add another top-tier young talent to the mix. That’s the kind of foundation you can build something real on.
The Luka trade will always sting - that much is inevitable when you give up a player of his caliber. But with both Davis and Harrison now out of the picture, the Mavericks can finally start to move forward. The path back to contention won’t be easy, but at least now, it’s theirs to chart - and for the first time in a while, there’s a sense of direction.