Mavericks dodged a major disaster as Anthony Davis trade target gets benched

The Atlanta Hawks were one of the most interested teams in Anthony Davis ahead of the trade deadline, but the Dallas Mavericks decided to make a deal with the Washington Wizards instead. Washington came out of nowhere to join the Davis sweepstakes, and the Mavs' decision to trade him to the Wizards rather than Atlanta is looking smarter by the day.

Especially after one of the players who would've likely been coming to Dallas from the Hawks hit rock bottom during their first playoff game over the weekend.

In Atlanta's Game 1 loss to the New York Knicks, Zaccharie Risacher played just two minutes and shot 0-3 from the field. He also turned the ball over once and had a -5 plus-minus.

Zaccharie Risacher got benched after two minutes his playoff debut

These minutes were at the very end of the first quarter, and Quin Snyder didn't allow him to touch the court again. Risacher rode the bench for the rest of the game, and Dallas dodged a disaster by not trading for the second-year wing.

Mavericks fans were intrigued by the idea of bringing him to Dallas as part of a Davis trade, as they believed that he has the youth, potential, and size on the wing to pair well with Cooper Flagg. He has had some good moments through the first two seasons of his career, but it doesn't look like he will ever develop into a high-level starter despite being a former No. 1 overall pick.

This season for Atlanta, he averaged 9.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 0.9 steals per game while shooting 45.5 percent from the field. This was a slight drop in production compared to his rookie season, and the fact that he is nearly out of Snyder's playoff rotation is a major problem.

Dallas is lucky they didn't strike a deal with the Hawks

When teams are trying to build a contender, finding guys who can play during the playoffs is crucial. The postseason is a completely different ball game, and you need players who can play during the biggest moments rather than getting played off the floor.

In his first career playoff game, Risacher was a non-factor. Snyder didn't trust him enough to insert him back into the game after the first quarter, and the Hawks went on to lose this game by 11 points.

While Dallas missed the playoffs this season for the third time in four years, they're trying as hard as they can to build a contender around Flagg. Their path back to the postseason begins next season, as both Kyrie Irving and Dereck Lively II are poised to return to the hardwood. It's not going to be easy to make the playoffs in a loaded Western Conference, but the Mavs at least have the squad to do it.

The Anthony Davis trade gave them the future financial flexibility they needed to better balance their roster, and this wouldn't have been the case as much if they dealt him to Atlanta. Risacher, a likely centerpiece in a potential deal with the Hawks, is under contract until the end of the 2027-28 season and is making over $30 million over the next two seasons.

A standard rookie contract has become an overpay for the 6-foot-8 French wing, and Dallas is lucky that they aren't paying a player this much who can't even play during the playoffs.

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