Kidd axes Anthony Davis trade piece from rotation as Mavericks finally get healthy

Now that the Dallas Mavericks are fully healthy outside of the two players who are out for the year (Dereck Lively II and Kyrie Irving), Jason Kidd has completely taken AJ Johnson out of the rotation. He has not touched the floor over the last two games, and this is a bit concerning, considering the team's direction.

Mavericks fans were excited about Johnson's potential after the team acquired him as part of the Anthony Davis trade, but the team getting healthy has not been good news for him. Johnson has played less than 10 minutes combined in the four games since Cooper Flagg's return from a midfoot sprain at the end of last week, and it looks like he could be stuck at the end of the bench for the rest of the season unless something changes.

AJ Johnson isn't getting run — despite Mavericks' need to tank

Even with Dallas losing 18 of their last 20 games and being the seventh-worst team in the NBA, Kidd and company haven't started actively tanking yet. Trading Anthony Davis and shutting down Kyrie Irving were obvious moves to build for the future, but the Mavs haven't begun shutting down players or sitting key players in the fourth quarter.

Kidd and the Mavericks are trying to win every game, and this is likely why Johnson has been sent to the bench. Despite him showing some early flashes in Dallas, including back-to-back games of 10+ points, Kidd doesn't seem to trust him yet.

Even with the Mavericks' need to develop their youngsters and drop in the standings, Kidd isn't giving Johnson a chance. He was playing real minutes during the four-game span from February 26 until March 3, as he averaged 21 minutes per game, but things have changed quickly since.

In the following four games up to now, Johnson has only played in two of them. He was a DNP-CD in the other two, and only played during garbage time of the two games that he played. Kidd isn't even trying to develop Johnson right now despite the team's need to tank, and that's an issue as the 2025-26 season comes to a close.

Why the Mavericks need to play AJ Johnson now

The Mavericks don't need Johnson to play to tank. They're already 21-44 on the year and have lost eight games in a row.

Dallas is losing without even trying to lose, which is concerning for next season, but Kidd has to at least play AJ Johnson. The Mavericks need him to grow as much as possible to wrap up the year, and he can't do that from the bench.

On top of this, any unnecessary wins could hurt the Mavericks' draft odds significantly. They are just 0.5 games behind the New Orleans Pelicans for sixth place in the lottery standings and 1.0 game behind the Utah Jazz for sixth place. Every loss matters right now, and Dallas should be playing their young players as much as possible to prioritize development.

The increase in lottery odds is too steep for the Mavericks not to take this tank seriously. The difference between fifth and seventh in the lottery standings is game-changing, and moving up in the lottery should be the team's No. 1 priority right now.

His athleticism, finishing, and speed have been intriguing during his short stint in Dallas, and Kidd should give him a trial by fire and allow him to rejoin the rotation to end his sophomore season. This will help Kidd see if Johnson is a long-term fit in Dallas while also accelerating their tank, and playing him again is the best of both worlds.

Johnson is too young to give up on, and Kidd completely axing him from the rotation despite the team's freefall down the standings was not on Mavericks fans' bingo cards.