One forgotten piece of the Mavericks' Anthony Davis trade is suddenly backfiring

The Dallas Mavericks’ decision to trade Anthony Davis to the Washington Wizards was framed as a cost-cutting move, and the return reflected that. Alongside Davis, Dallas moved on from a group of underwhelming contributors, including D’Angelo Russell, an injured Dante Exum, and Jaden Hardy. But while most of the deal flew under the radar, Hardy has emerged as an unexpected bright spot in Washington, playing the best basketball of his career since the trade.

Mavericks include Jaden Hardy as a throw-in in Anthony Davis deal

In 22 appearances with the Wizards, Hardy has averaged 12.9 points and 2.5 three-pointers in only 20.6 minutes per game while shooting 44.5 percent from the field and 41.8 percent from beyond the arc.

Despite being one of the league’s worst teams, Washington has been 4.0 points per 100 possessions better offensively with Hardy on the floor — an impact that ranks in the 83rd percentile league-wide. His production hasn’t just been empty numbers; it’s translated directly to improved offensive efficiency.

Hardy’s inconsistent role limited his development

Hardy’s offensive talent, however, is nothing new. The combo guard entered the NBA with a reputation as a true three-level scorer, but an inefficient stint with the G League Ignite sent his draft stock tumbling. Dallas capitalized, trading into the second round to select him with the 37th overall pick.

Hardy showed flashes early, carving out a role on a Mavericks team with championship aspirations and averaging 8.8 points per game on 40.4 percent shooting from three as a rookie. But with an inconsistent role, those flashes never turned into sustained growth. His production plateaued, never exceeding 8.8 points per game or reaching even 2.0 rebounds or assists.

Dallas ultimately decided to part ways with the 23-year-old at the deadline, which is a move that could already be coming back to bite them. On the surface, the decision was justified. Hardy’s production had plateaued, and the Mavericks were often worse with him on the floor. However, two key indicators suggest he may have been capable of providing more value than his role suggested.

Signs Dallas gave up on Hardy too soon

First, after three uneven seasons, Dallas was 9.1 points per 100 possessions better with Hardy on the floor in 2025–26. That swing likely reflects a significantly altered roster context and offensive structure compared to his previous seasons.

Hardy projects as a sparkplug scorer, a role that wasn’t essential on a roster built around Luka Doncic and already featuring Tim Hardaway Jr. in a similar bench scoring role. At 6-foot-3 with an offense-first profile, Hardy's defensive limitations further reduced his versatility. As a result, there wasn’t much room for Hardy in Dallas. He functioned more as a luxury than a necessity.

Following Hardaway Jr.’s departure and the Mavericks’ decision to move on from Doncic, backcourt scoring and creation became a clear roster need. In that context, Hardy’s 2025–26 on/off numbers can be seen less as an outlier and more as a product of Dallas increasingly needing his specific skill set. A profile once viewed as redundant now looked closer to essential. With Dallas struggling to generate half-court offense and lacking consistent shooting, his skill set aligned more cleanly with their offensive gaps.

That brings us to the second point. Dallas’ inability to knock down three-pointers has been a major issue, with the Mavericks ranking 29th in both three-point makes and percentage, and 30th in wide-open three-point accuracy. Yet they moved on from a player shooting nearly 40 percent from deep on the season, including 44.0 percent on wide-open attempts. Among 208 qualified players attempting at least 1.5 wide-open threes per game, Hardy ranked 34th.

Dallas could certainly use a knockdown shooter of Hardy’s profile, yet they moved on from him as a throw-in piece in a larger deal. Unlike in previous seasons, Hardy had started to emerge as a legitimate floor-spacing threat and secondary scorer. Instead, the Mavericks deemed him expendable. A decision that already looks like a misstep.