Mavericks fans won't like this harsh truth hidden in the Anthony Davis trade

The Dallas Mavericks finally ended the short-lived Anthony Davis era on Wednesday by trading him to the Washington Wizards. The return package includes four players, two first-round picks, and three second-round picks, but Mavericks fans should be aware that the first-round draft capital doesn't look like it will be as lucrative as it seems.

Receiving multiple first-round picks after Davis was predicted to be moved for only expiring salary was a blessing on its own, but these picks aren't the type that teams were salivating over. First-round picks are the type of sweeteners in trades that can completely change the trajectory of the franchise that's acquiring them, but that won't be the case in Dallas.

One of the picks from the deal is the Oklahoma City Thunder's first-round pick this summer, which is poised to be the final pick of the first round unless something drastically changes over the next two months. Oklahoma City is the best team in the NBA by 1.5 games right now, and if they finish strong, Dallas will be picking 30th here.

The uncomfortable truth about the draft picks from the Davis trade

The Mavericks will have two first-round picks to utilize to build around Cooper Flagg this summer, which is promising on its own, but it may be slim pickings by the time that Dallas is on the clock for the second time of the night.

The other pick is the Golden State Warriors' first-round selection in 2030. While this seems exciting on the surface, as the Warriors' future is looking uncertain right now, this pick comes with a major catch.

There's top-20 protection on this pick, meaning that the Mavericks aren't even going to get to use it unless it falls in between 21 and 30. Dallas would benefit from Golden State being a good team during the 2029-30 season, but if they aren't, then the Mavericks would get stuck without the Warriors' pick that year. Golden State's second-round pick would then be conveyed to Dallas.

In reality, Dallas pretty much received four second-round picks, one bottom-of-the-barrel first-round pick, a flyer on AJ Johnson, and three expiring contracts. The Mavericks achieved their goal of clearing up their books and giving themselves some long-term flexibility here, but the first-round picks clearly aren't something to get excited over.

The main draw of this trade is the future flexibility that the Mavericks gained, and this was likely the best offer that Dallas could've gotten for their former star big man. Davis' injuries since arriving in Dallas sunk his value considerably, and the aggregate of the Luka Doncic trade looks even worse now.

The Mavs traded Luka Doncic for Max Christie, two first-round picks, four second-round picks (assuming that the Warriors' pick conveys to a second-rounder), and expiring contracts. Dallas did what needed to be done by trading Davis and officially flipping the page to the Cooper Flagg era, but the draft assets in this deal are still subpar.