The Mavericks officially ended the Anthony Davis era in Dallas with their pre-deadline deal with the Wizards, sending Davis and some scraps to Washington in exchange for more scraps.
If you ask the national basketball media, the trade lands as either a disaster for the Mavericks or an ace move that sets them up well for the future. And a lot of in between.
Check out some of the wide array of opinions on the Mavericks’ blockbuster deal below.
ESPN: B
Mavericks
ESPN’s Kevin Pelton: “This is a grade strictly for the Mavericks trading away Davis based on his current market, not one that encompasses the decision to acquire him in the first place. (I already graded that trade an F at the time.)
“In an era when apron restrictions have made teams more cognizant than ever of managing their cap efficiently, Davis was difficult to move for significant draft compensation or equivalent young talent. The Mavericks probably faced a choice between deals like this that prioritized shedding salary, acquiring players with similarly large contracts or waiting to try to move Davis until this summer.
“Of those choices, I’m totally fine with making this deal now, which was the best way for Dallas to avoid paying a huge luxury tax bill for a lottery team.”
The Athletic: C
The Athletic’s Zach Harper et al.: “The Dallas Mavericks are turning the page on the biggest part of last season’s disastrous Luka Dončić trade.
“Just over a year after he was initially traded to Dallas, Davis’ time with the Mavs ends after just 29 games on the court.
“Dallas needed to do two things with a Davis deal: shed salary and restock its cupboard of draft picks. The Mavericks had the fourth-highest payroll in the NBA, controlled only two first-round picks outright until 2031, and had no second-round picks until 2030, before the Davis trade. This move gives them more flexibility and ammunition as they try to reset around Cooper Flagg.”
CBS Sports: C-
CBS’ Sam Quinn: “Let’s get this out of the way: those first-round picks are about as fake as any ever traded for a player as notable as Davis. One of them, from Oklahoma City, is almost certain to come in at No. 29 or No. 30. The other, from Golden State, is top-20 protected, so either the Mavericks get nothing or they get a late first-round pick.
“This is a cap dump dressed up as a blockbuster. In one move, the Mavericks went from $16 million above the luxury tax line to below it altogether. Perhaps more importantly, they got off of the next two years of his max contract, and the pressure for an extension that would have come with it. That’s not nothing. They are now free to build around Cooper Flagg in earnest. The ghosts of the Dončić trade can now be put to rest. Everyone in Dallas can move on.”
Yahoo! Sports: A
Yahoo’s Morten Stig Jensen: “There’s no other way around this: The Mavs lost the Luka Dončić trade by the size of Mt. Everest, but at least they won this one.
“The aging Davis, who can’t seem to stay healthy and who remains one of the most expensive deals in the NBA, simply shouldn’t have had any positive trade value, and yet, here we are.
“They now gain a ton of salary flexibility to build around Cooper Flagg, which is what the plan should have been since he was drafted first overall last summer.”
Sports Illustrated: D+
SI’s Liam McKeone: “A Davis trade felt inevitable in Dallas the moment his biggest supporter, Nico Harrison, was fired as the team’s general manager. That combined with his ongoing injury issues this season and his regularly-reported desire to receive a contract extension likely killed his trade market. It was clear to all the future of the Mavericks did not include AD.
“But still. This was the best they could do?”
Bleacher Report: D-
BR’s Dan Favale: “Team governor Patrick Dumont and everyone else knew the Luka trade backfired by last summer (insofar as they didn’t know it from the moment the move was made). He allowed the Mavs to begin the season with Nico Harrison still in power anyway.
“Had Dumont acted sooner, the Mavs could have gotten more for Davis than what might amount to one first-round pick, four seconds, tax relief and overall financial flexibility. Even now, it’s fair to question whether they could have gotten more if they were willing to take on longer-term money. Restocking the pick deck should have been a bigger priority when Dallas doesn’t control its own after 2026 until 2030.”
More on the Anthony Davis trade
— Mavs-Wizards trade reaction: Dallas lands bigger haul for Anthony Davis over Luka Doncic?
— How trading Anthony Davis paves the way for Mavericks’ Cooper Flagg-led future
— Whoever pulled off Mavericks’ Anthony Davis trade should be the franchise’s full-time GM
— By moving Anthony Davis, Mavericks aim to patch the hole left by Luka Doncic trade
— NBA trade deadline updates: Mavericks make additional move after Anthony Davis deal
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