Going all out! Trading 4 for 9! Anthony Davis sent to the Wizards, did the Mavericks lose big?

Guys, an even bigger trade has arrived!

Let’s look at the details first!

The Mavericks sendAnthony Davisalong with Jaden Hardy, D'Angelo Russell, and Dante Exum to the Washington Wizards.

In exchange, they get veteran Chris Middleton, young AJ Johnson, Malaki Branham, Marvin Bagley III, plus 2 first-round picks and 3 second-round picks.

The draft picks the Mavericks receive from the Wizards include: the 2026 Thunder first-round pick, the 2030 Warriors protected first-round pick; plus the 2026 Suns second-round pick, 2027 Bulls second-round pick, and 2029 Rockets second-round pick!

So it's basically trading 4 players for 9 assets? This deal is massive!

Last December’s tweet titled “Davis pressures Mavericks! Trade or extension! Who leaves first, him or Doncic?” finally has an answer now.

Anthony Davis still has 3 years left on his contract worth $175 million.

For the 25-26 and 26-27 seasons, he is set to earn $54.13 million and $58.46 million respectively, and in 27-28, Davis holds a player option worth $62.79 million.

If he exercises the player option and signs a new 3-year deal, under the rules, he would be eligible for a 4-year, $218.5 million max contract over the next four seasons.

Therefore, Dallas had to move him out.

With Davis traded this way, the former Mavericks GM Nick Calathes, who was already out, will definitely face harsh criticism repeatedly in media comment sections.

Looking back a year ago, that historic NBA trade was:

Lakers received: Doncic, Kleber, Markieff Morris, and $55,000 (from the Jazz);

Mavericks received: Anthony Davis, Max Christie, 2029 first-round pick (from Lakers), and $55,000 (from the Jazz);

Jazz received: Sefino, 2025 second-round pick (from Clippers), and Mavericks’ 2025 second-round pick.

Overall, many fans saw it as trading Doncic for Middleton.

But personally, I don’t think it’s necessary to think that way, mainly because:Flagler is just too good!

He might even win a championship faster than Doncic...

The clear message from this trade now is:

The Mavericks are building around the American-born star.

Over the past year, Davis has been plagued by injuries, playing only 29 games. He averaged 30.8 minutes, 20.2 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 0.9 steals, and 1.8 blocks per game.

His overall shooting percentage is 49.2%, three-point percentage 25.4%, and free throw percentage 71.3%.

Availability has definitely been the biggest issue.

At 33 years old, he is gradually approaching the end of his career.

I recall when he was with the Lakers, fans once dreamed of bringing in Fox to pair with Davis.

It’s quite surprising that fate brought them together on the Washington team in the nation’s capital.

Let’s call them the “Yang and Brow” duo for now!

With the Wizards shaking things up like this, their roster looks more solid.

With young players like Sarr, George, Johnson, and Koulibaly already providing a decent floor, they also have a chance to participate in this summer’s draft with a high pick.

If luck favors them and they get a top-three pick, they could select a strong immediate contributor like Cameron Boozer...

Finally, it’s worth appreciating that this is the maturity of the NBA:

As long as you operate normally, there are plenty of chances to turn things around.