Latest Anthony Davis update proves Mavericks escaped a nightmare at the perfect time

The Dallas Mavericks' decision to trade Anthony Davis to the Washington Wizards has always been a win, and a recent report about his season-ending hand injury just made this move look even better. Davis suffered ligament damage in his left hand during a game back in January, and it was much more serious than anyone expected.

"It's a complicated injury," Davis said in a recent interview with ABC News. "The doctor actually told me he was nervous because he's never seen anything like that, and some of the torn ligaments are pretty thick."

Anthony Davis injury update makes the trade look even better

This directly contradicts the rumors that Davis could've returned at some point last season if he had remained in Dallas, and the Mavericks got rid of a ticking time bomb at the perfect moment.

Davis only played in 29 games as a Maverick due to injuries, and this final hand injury was the nail in the coffin for his career in Dallas. He seemingly always got hurt right as he began to play well, and the Mavs couldn't afford to play with fire anymore.

They lost the Luka Doncic-Davis swap the second that it happened, and there wasn't a reason to keep him around anymore.

Winning the lottery and selecting Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 overall pick saved the Mavericks from shriveling into irrelevance, and trading Davis was a natural next step to fully move on from the Doncic trade. Dallas couldn't undo Nico Harrison's disastrous move, but they could at least accept that they never should've made that trade by recouping as much value as they could by trading Davis.

Dallas moved on at the right time

The Mavericks pivoted to fully focusing on Flagg by dumping Davis, and Davis’ admission about his hand injury proves just how fragile he has truly become. He has been dealt some serious bad luck in the injury department, but the fact that he couldn’t stay on the court put the Mavericks at a serious disadvantage.

The package that Dallas got from Washington was positive, given the impact that Marvin Bagley III and Khris Middleton made, but the fact that Davis never returned this season makes things even better. He obviously isn’t at 100 percent despite this injury happening nearly four months ago, and Dallas doesn’t have to worry about his durability anymore.

This is already looking like another lost offseason for Davis, given that he hasn't even fully recovered, and the Wizards are already dealing with his nightmare injury cycle that the Mavericks know well.

Dallas waiting until the offseason to trade Davis could've caused his value to tank significantly since he isn't healthy, and the Mavericks' front office should be applauded for the package they received.

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