Mavericks vindicated for Anthony Davis trade after embarrassingly brutal ranking

The Dallas Mavericks traded Anthony Davis to the Washington Wizards earlier this month, and this decision looks even better following his ranking in Bleacher Report's most overrated players in the NBA rankings.

Greg Swartz ranked Davis as the second-most overrated player in the league, only behind Draymond Green, and the Mavs clearly got out of the Anthony Davis business at the perfect time. His time with the Mavericks will always be remembered for the time that he missed, as he only played 29 games, but his on-court underperformance can't be undermined either.

He averaged just 20.4 points per game this season for Dallas. His lowest average since his rookie year.

Anthony Davis is one of the most overrated NBA players

It would've helped him to get some continuity in order to gain some momentum and string together some positive performances, but his health held him back from doing this. His injuries have affected all parts of his game, and even defensively, he isn't the same game-wrecker that he was with the Los Angeles Lakers.

He looked a step slower, and the player that Nico Harrison thought he was getting in the Luka Doncic trade is nowhere to be found.

Swartz's criticism of Davis mostly rested upon his "drop off in production, injuries and hefty salary." Many casual NBA fans haven't even realized that Davis is the fifth-highest paid player in the NBA, and he obviously isn't worth the $54 million that he is making this season. He can't stay on the court, and it's going to be hard for a team to justify giving him another massive contract.

Availability is the best ability, and Davis doesn't have this.

On top of his injuries and massive salary, he also isn't the easiest player to build around, either. Coughing up $50+ million per year on a player who isn't an offensive engine is a risky tactic in today's NBA, and his inefficiency as a shooter puts his team in a tough spot.

He still prefers to play power forward despite being much more effective as a center, and it's extremely hard to play the four while shooting under 30 percent from downtown. He hasn't shot above 30 percent from three since the 2019-20 season, and despite his struggles as a shooter, he still wants to play power forward.

This isn't logical, especially since Davis is built like a center, and the days of the Mavericks having to figure out how to give Davis, Dereck Lively II, and Daniel Gafford adequate minutes are over. Dallas was able to acquire five draft picks along with expiring contracts and AJ Johnson for the 10-time All-Star big man, and they did what they had to do.

The aggregate of the Luka Doncic trade is never going to look good for Dallas, but with Davis' value declining sharply over the last year, they made the right move by trading him. He has become one of the most overrated players in the association, and Dallas sold at the right time.