The Mavericks are officially in demolition mode — again. A year after pulling the plug on the Luka Doncic era, Dallas is now sending Anthony Davis packing in a monster deal with the Wizards, per ESPN.
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The trade: Anthony Davis, Jaden Hardy, D'Angelo Russell, and Dante Exum to Washington in exchange for Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson, Malaki Branham, Marvin Bagley III, and five draft picks.
Yes, five.
Davis was the blockbuster return in last year's controversial Doncic trade, but the fit never clicked. Injuries piled up fast. Davis is currently sidelined with a hand injury and has already missed time this season with abdominal, calf, and groin issues.
In 20 games, he averaged 20 points and 11 boards. Solid numbers when healthy, but that's always the asterisk.
The Wizards, sitting at 13-36, are suddenly hoarding names. They already grabbed Trae Young from Atlanta, though he hasn't suited up yet thanks to knee and quad issues.
Now they've got Davis, for now. There's still a chance he gets flipped again before Thursday's 3 p.m. NBA trade deadline.
As for Dallas, the fallout from the Doncic deal was ugly. Former GM Nico Harrison got bounced, and fans torched the front office for trading one of the best players on the planet for a big man made of glass.
But the Mavs did hit on one thing — winning the lottery. That gave them former Duke phenom Cooper Flagg at No. 1 overall. Now, with a mountain of picks and a clean slate, Dallas has a shot to rebuild around their new cornerstone.
And they aren't done.
The Davis trade is just the start. Dallas is back in asset-collecting mode. And with names like Giannis Antetokounmpo still floating around, things could get real spicy real fast.
