Mavericks just sent Cooper Flagg a clear message with shocking Anthony Davis trade

In exchange for the greatest player in franchise history, the Dallas Mavericks got 29 games of Anthony Davis. That's not great. But now Davis has been traded to the Washington Wizards, and in doing so, the Mavericks have sent a message to their new franchise cornerstone Cooper Flagg: We're all in on building around you, but the results won't come immediately.

By shipping off Davis with D'Angelo Russell and Dante Exum for two first-rounders, three second-rounders, AJ Johnson (21 years old) and Malaki Branham (22), the Mavericks have effectively admitted that this current Mavs roster was never good enough to compete, and that prioritizing asset acquisition is the best path forward.

Of course, fans already knew that was the case, but I digress. Prioritizing picks and upside on players isn't going to win the Mavs many games right now — in fact, it's going to lose them a bunch. So this move, if nothing else, is an indicator that some patience will be required from the 19 year-old (and the fan base) while a competitive roster is built around him.

With how great Flagg already is, asking him to look toward the future feels a little trite. But I'm also not sure the 19-31 Mavs had many other options — plus, he probably doesn't need to look too far into the future... Assuming the Mavericks can make some savvy moves in the offseason. Maybe I shouldn't assume that.

Mavericks are playing the long game by adding picks, young players

Trading Davis was always going to be an uphill climb for the new Mavericks front office, and adding two first-rounders plus some young players for him (and a bunch of guys who weren't part of the Mavs' future) is actually a solid return.

If you look at it all-inclusively, dating back to last February, it's a brutal return, obviously — but in a vacuum, the Mavs did a pretty solid job with this deal.

With Davis gone, the Mavs clear about $120 million off the books over the next two years. Plus, with Kyrie Irving returning next year, PJ Washington, Daniel Gafford, and Max Christie locked up for the next few years, Flagg himself on a speedrun to superstardom, and now some legit draft capital in their pocket, there's reason to believe that the aforementioned "competitive roster" could be built faster than it seems.

In the meantime, though, this deal almost feels like it should come with an apology note to Flagg. Like, Sorry we tried to convince you this team was good enough to win in your rookie year, but we promise if you can finish out this season, we have two first-round picks and an All-Star point guard for you next season.