Anthony Davis trade was quietly a stroke of genius by the Mavericks

The Anthony Davis trade will be incessantly mocked, and rightfully so, but considering the position the Dallas Mavericks were in, it actually wasn’t that bad. They got off his long-term money, added (at least some) draft capital, and cleared up a ton of space moving forward. It was seemingly as good as they could have possibly done.

The unfortunate reality of the situation was that Davis never got fully healthy in Dallas. The Luka Doncic trade was an unmitigated disaster, but Davis’ inability to stay on the court consistently never gave Nico Harrison’s (awful) vision a fair chance (not that it deserved one).

And by the time Davis’ time in Dallas came to a close, this was the best the Mavs could have done in a trade.

Anthony Davis trade was an unfortunate win for the Mavs

Nobody wanted Davis. When he’s on the court, he’s one of the best players in the world. A true freak of nature on both ends of the floor. One of the best two-way players of the century.

But that was the problem: He’s very rarely on the court. Even when he got to the Mavericks, he was hit with a myriad of injuries and ailments that prevented him from being on the floor.

So, when the Mavs finally fired Harrison and decided to move on from Davis, who would want him? Or, more importantly, who would pay a premium price for him if he were never on the court?

There is no escaping the painful reality of the Doncic trade. What’s done is done, and it can never be undone. All that the new front office could do was move on as best as possible, despite the fact that the Davis trade return would always be connected to the Doncic deal.

But if you do separate the two trades, and factor in how unhealthy Davis has been, this may be as good as the Mavericks could have done.

The first-rounders they got aren’t great. One is the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 2026 first-round pick, which will be toward the end of the court. The other is the Golden State Warriors’ 2030 first, but protected 1-20. Then, the Mavs got three future seconds.

However, all four players the Mavericks got in the deal are on expiring contracts, except for AJ Johnson, who has two years of team options after this season (his rookie contract).

The Mavs got picks (bad ones, but still) and future financial freedom to build around Cooper Flagg.

Considering how depleted their overall draft cabinet is, and how massive (and long) Davis’ contract is, that’s a win.

In the context of the Doncic trade, it’s a loss. But in the context of Davis and only Davis, it’s a win (unfortunately).