The Anthony Davis trade destroyed a Mavericks weakness no one expected

The Dallas Mavericks came into this season with perhaps the best big man rotation in the entire league, but injuries to Anthony Davis, Dereck Lively II, and Daniel Gafford quickly derailed this ideology. With Davis getting traded to the Washington Wizards, it'd make sense for Dallas to be worse at this position heading into next season, but Dallas may actually be able to turn their big man corps into a strength again next season if a few things go its way.

While Davis was ultimately better than any of Dallas' current big men, his health issues and insistence on playing the four likely leave Dallas better off in the center department heading into next season, and their center rotation is far younger without him as well.

A lot of Dallas' future frontcourt success hinges on Lively II's health next year, as the 22-year-old will have played in less than 40 percent of possible regular-season games through his career once this season wraps up, but it's undeniable that Lively II still has immense potential in the league.

Dallas has a real center rotation now

Coming over from the Wizards in the Davis deal was Marvin Bagley III, and he's been a great backup center on both ends of the court through 17 games in Dallas, making a huge case for Dallas to sign him as a reserve big man for next year.

He finished with 26 points, nine rebounds, one steal, and one block while shooting 11-14 from the field and 3-5 from downtown last night in a win over the Portland Trail Blazers, proving how valuable he is heading into a crucial offseason.

There have been, and will continue to be rumors in regard to Dallas trading Gafford for guard/wing help this summer, but if Dallas carries Gafford into next season, they could potentially have a big man rotation of Lively II, Gafford, and Bagley III. All three of these players offer slightly different looks, and with Bagley III having shot 47.8 percent from beyond the arc through his brief time in Dallas, this gives promise toward him playing a Maxi Kleber-type role if he continues to improve from distance.

Both Bagley III and Gafford are at the precipice of what their primes should be, given they are only 27 years old, which gives Dallas a mix of experience and youth in their center rotation. Bagley III may not be as good a rim protector as Gafford or Lively II, but he's not terrible at moving his feet in space, so Dallas may even be able to get away with running Bagley III at the four sometimes next season if they want to go ultra-big, especially if he improves his shot.

The Mavericks could also explore bringing back young big man Moussa Cisse, as Cisse is an explosive rim protector and decent rim-roller, even if he has quite a ways to go in terms of polishing his offensive game. Dallas could likely get Bagley III for fair market value in the offseason if they elect to re-sign him, and while Cisse can't be signed to a consecutive two-way contract, Dallas could bring him back on a minimum deal if they end up having the space after the offseason.

The Mavericks have three versatile bigs who fit together

There's obviously a different spearhead running the show in terms of having Cooper Flagg instead of Luka Doncic, but a primary big men rotation of Lively II, Gafford, and Bagley III could give Dallas the same level of versatility that their big men rotation had in the 2024 NBA Finals. Of course, there are swing factors at play here, such as Bagley III continuing to improve from downtown and Lively II staying healthy, but this trio would certainly look promising on paper heading into next season.

Bagley III could easily become a supercharged version of what Kleber once was in Dallas if he can continue to space the floor, and Lively II still has the potential to get to an All-Defensive level if he can stay healthy. Gafford is one of the most physical bigs in the league on both ends as well, so all in all, the Mavericks would have a great mixture of centers to be able to throw at any opposing team's personnel.