Anthony Davis Trade Marks a Painful but Necessary Step Forward for Mavericks
Let’s be honest: the Anthony Davis trade wasn’t a blockbuster win for the Dallas Mavericks. It wasn’t flashy.
It didn’t bring back a haul of blue-chip prospects or unprotected lottery picks. But given where the Mavericks stood-and how little leverage they had-it might’ve been the best they could possibly do.
Davis arrived in Dallas with sky-high expectations. The idea of pairing him with Luka Dončić was tantalizing: two generational talents, one dominating the paint and the other orchestrating the offense.
But that dream never really materialized. Davis just couldn’t stay on the floor.
Injuries continued to pile up, and the Mavericks never got a sustained glimpse of the dominant two-way force they thought they were getting.
And that’s the crux of it. When healthy, Davis is still one of the most gifted players in the league-an elite defender who can anchor a championship-level defense, and a versatile offensive weapon who can score from just about anywhere.
But the health never came. Not in L.A., and certainly not in Dallas.
For the Mavericks, that meant they were paying superstar money for a player who couldn’t consistently play.
So when the front office-now under new leadership after parting ways with Nico Harrison-finally decided to move on, the question wasn’t whether they could win the trade. It was whether they could salvage anything at all.
The answer? Kind of.
The Mavericks offloaded Davis’ massive contract, which alone is a small victory. That deal was a long-term cap anchor, and moving it clears the books for a potential rebuild around Cooper Flagg.
They also picked up some draft capital, even if it’s not exactly franchise-altering. The 2026 first-rounder from the Oklahoma City Thunder is likely to land in the late 20s.
The 2030 first-rounder from the Golden State Warriors is top-20 protected, which limits its upside. And then there are three future second-rounders-solid, but not game-changers.
As for the players coming back, they’re mostly on expiring deals. That gives Dallas even more financial flexibility moving forward.
The only player with any long-term commitment is AJ Johnson, who’s still on his rookie contract with two years of team options. He’s a developmental piece, not a cornerstone, but there’s value in that too.
The truth is, nobody was lining up to trade for Davis. Not with his injury history and not at that price tag.
The Mavericks didn’t have teams bidding against each other. They had to take what they could get-and what they got was cap relief, a handful of picks, and a clean slate.
Now, if you zoom out and connect this to the Dončić trade? Yeah, it stings.
That deal was a disaster, plain and simple. And the Davis trade return will always be linked to it, fairly or not.
But if you isolate this move-just Davis, just the current situation-it’s hard to see how Dallas could’ve done much better.
This wasn’t about winning the trade on paper. It was about resetting the franchise’s trajectory.
Davis’ time in Dallas didn’t work out. It happens.
But now the Mavericks have a chance to move forward, lean into their young core, and build something more sustainable.
In that sense, the Davis trade wasn’t a loss. It was a necessary step toward whatever comes next.