Mavericks' latest trade dumps once-promising Anthony Davis trade piece

The Dallas Mavericks traded for Santi Aldama and the draft rights to Tarik Biberovic in a deal with the Memphis Grizzlies this week, sending AJ Johnson and multiple draft picks to Memphis. This deal provides Dallas with plenty of shooting and offensive versatility as they look to bounce back after losing 56 games last season. It also marks the end of a piece from the Anthony Davis trade's time with the Mavericks — AJ Johnson.

Why AJ Johnson once seemed like an exciting project for Dallas

The Mavericks are absorbing the remaining two years of Aldama's contract into one of their traded player exceptions, and Johnson's inclusion in this trade is clearly a salary dump on Dallas' end.

Mavericks fans were once excited about Johnson's inclusion in the Davis trade with the Washington Wizards in February due to his athleticism, speed in the open court, and potential. Dallas needed some youth on the roster as they began a rebuild around Cooper Flagg after getting rid of Davis, and Johnson seemed like a fun project with high upside.

The Milwaukee Bucks used the No. 23 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft on him, and the Davis trade allowed him to start over and attempt to build continuity with a team for the first time in his career.

How Johnson's time in Dallas fell apart quickly

Unfortunately, the young guard struggled tremendously as a Maverick. Dallas stepped into the batter's box looking for a low-risk pickup with upside, but they went down swinging.

He averaged 3.9 points, 1.0 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game in 23 games for Dallas while shooting 32.3 percent from the field and 15.6 percent from downtown. The Davis trade provided the 21-year-old guard with a fresh start and the chance to receive an expanded role on a struggling team, but things went south quickly.

He struggled to knock down open shots on a team that desperately needed shooting, and the rawness of his offensive game was easy to see. Johnson's speed was there, but he became an offensive liability who didn't have the frame or size to provide defensive versatility. It quickly became clear that he was going to be a long-term project if the Mavs were willing to live through the growing pains.

The Aldama trade proves that they were not willing to be patient.

Rather than Johnson taking his game to the next level in Dallas alongside their young core, he finds himself on his fourth team before his third season. This is not a promising track record for the former Illawarra Hawk, and the Mavericks having to dump him makes the Davis move look even more questionable.

Promise was outweighed by doubts and struggles

Johnson showed promising flashes during his time in Dallas, like when he scored 30 points in a game for the Texas Legends of the G League, but he also had plenty of lows that were impossible to ignore. Even when the Mavs were tanking, Johnson could barely crack Jason Kidd's rotation.

The former Mavericks coach clearly didn't trust him, and he stacked up eight DNP-CDs over his two months in Dallas. This is a high number for a player who was a first-round pick just over two years ago, and his time with the Mavs seemed destined to end — regardless of who the head coach was.

Just under five months after being acquired by the Mavs in the Davis deal, he was shipped to the Grizzlies. He could get the chance to play a bit more in Memphis as they continue their rebuild, but Dallas clearly got out of the AJ Johnson business at an optimal time.

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