Mavericks 2026 NBA trade deadline grade after 2 deals, Anthony Davis blockbuster

What a difference a year makes. Around this time last year, the entire city of Dallas was in despair after Nico Harrison inexplicably traded away Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for a package headlined by Anthony Davis. That trade was universally-panned at the time, and time has not been very kind to the Mavericks with that franchise-altering move they made.

A year later, the Mavericks cut their losses and sent Davis away to the Washington Wizards prior to the trade deadline and got a return that would not even come close to matching the value they gave up to bring in the 10-time All-Star.

The good news is that the Mavericks lucked into Cooper Flagg, giving them yet another superstar in the making to build the franchise around. Fingers crossed, but this time around, with a new brain trust at the helm, perhaps Flagg would last longer than the six and a half seasons Doncic spent with the team.

A few weeks have now passed since the deadline, and it’s clear what the Mavericks are trying to do to end the year: boost their odds so they could get as good of a pick as possible to try and supplement their Flagg-led core during a rare year where they control their own first-round pick.

Be that as it may, how did the Mavericks do during the trade deadline and has time been kinder to them this time around?

Mavericks refuse to fall into sunk cost fallacy, trade away Anthony Davis

Mavericks acquire: Marvin Bagley III, A.J. Johnson, Tyus Jones, Khris Middleton, 2026 OKC 1st round pick, top-20 protected 2030 GSW 1st round pick, 2026 PHX 2nd round pick, 2027 CHI 2nd round pick, and 2029 HOU 2nd round pick

Wizards acquire: Anthony Davis, D’Angelo Russell, Dante Exum, Jaden Hardy

To say that the Mavericks sold Davis for pennies on the dollar would be a major understatement. This is quite a disappointing return to say the least for the main piece Dallas got in exchange for Doncic, and this is the kind of move that just screams admission of defeat.

Now, this is not to say that the Mavericks should not have traded Davis. There were certainly plenty of reasons as to why exploring the market for him was wise. But Dallas could have chosen not to pull the trigger if this was the best offer they were going to get.

For starters, Davis has two more seasons left on his contract following the 2025-26 campaign, although he has a player option for the 2026-27 season. Why did the Mavericks feel as though they had to move on this quickly from Davis, especially when he’s been ravaged by injuries this season?

Perhaps the Mavs know something about Davis’ health that others don’t. But it’s not like Davis’ presence was preventing Dallas from pulling off some tanking shenanigans, seeing as he wasn’t healthy enough to play anyway and that the smart money would be on him missing the rest of the 2025-26 season due to the ligament damage he sustained in his left hand.

If the goal was for the Mavericks to compete next season especially when Kyrie Irving returns, then holding on to Davis would have been the smart move. None of the pieces the Mavs got for Davis stands out as a potential keeper, and the picks they got from the Wizards aren’t very good whatsoever.

The first-round pick they got in 2026 is likely to land as the 30th pick of the draft as it belongs to the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder. The Warriors’ pick in 2030 is protected until the 20th selection; by then, Curry might be long retired and Golden State might be in the middle of a painful rebuild. That pick would convey as a second-round pick if it lands within the protected area.

Marvin Bagley and Khris Middleton are good pieces, but they are nothing more than depth players at this point of their careers. AJ Johnson is barely getting any minutes for the Mavericks in recent games. If this was the best they could have gotten, there is an argument that keeping Davis might have been the best course of action anyway.

It’s one thing to admit that trading Doncic away for Davis, Max Christie, and an unprotected 2029 first-round pick was a mistake. It’s another thing to double down on that mistake. Was it not tantalizing enough for the Mavs to try and see what they got with a Flagg, Davis, and Irving core with a supporting cast consisting of Dereck Lively II, Daniel Gafford, Christie, Naji Marshall, Klay Thompson, and PJ Washington, just to name a few?

Lucking into the number one pick saved this Mavericks franchise. Had Flagg not landed in Dallas, this franchise would be in utter shambles. In a vacuum, this trade with the Wizards is, at best, defensible, and, at worst, a pitiful admission of defeat. But when assessed from the grand context of the Doncic trade and the horrible turn of events that has since beset the franchise, this trade is all the more difficult to swallow.

Dallas addresses season-long point guard woes

The Mavericks re-routed Branham, a piece they got in the Davis trade, to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Tyus Jones, who was salary dumped by the Orlando Magic. Jones has not been very good this season, as he has looked very much washed up for the Magic hence their decision to cut him loose, but he at least provides a steady hand and some healthy competition for the team’s other guards.

Jones is not expected to play a big role, but perhaps he helps the likes of Brandon Williams and Ryan Nembhard learn more about what it takes to be an effective floor general in the association.

How did the Mavs do?

Overall, the Mavericks did not do well prior to the trade deadline. They chose to commit into a full-blown rebuild around Flagg but they got a paltry return for Davis. They had such a solid role player infrastructure, but chose to blow it up anyway instead of betting that Davis would be healthier next season.

Mavs fans have to expect, barring an insane leap from Flagg, that they might find it difficult to crack the postseason picture next season.

Mavericks’ trade deadline grade: C-

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