Mavericks Reportedly Turned Down Anthony Davis Trade From NBA Playoff Team

The Dallas Mavericks traded Anthony Davis to the Washington Wizards in February just before the trade deadline, ending an "era" that Mavs fans will want to forget. He hardly played, cost a lot of money, and was the biggest remnant of the horrific Luka Doncic trade. He had to go.

There was some belief that the Mavericks had interest from some other teams in a trade for Davis, mainly the Toronto Raptors and Atlanta Hawks. Any return from the Raptors would've likely included Jakob Poeltl, which might be the worst contract in the NBA. The Hawks weren't willing to put the Pelicans' pick (understandable) or Zaccharie Risacher (blessing in hindsight) on the table.

However, two reports popped up on Saturday stating that the Portland Trail Blazers called the Mavs for a trade about Davis centered around Jerami Grant. The first was from NBA insider Jake Fischer as part of the latest Stein Line.

︀︀“Sources say that the Blazers also contacted Dallas during the season to gauge the Mavericks' interest in a Grant-centric package sweetened with draft capital in exchange for Anthony Davis," Fischer wrote. "Rather than trade for a player with 2 1/2 pricy seasons remaining on his contract at that point, Dallas shipped Davis to Washington in a deal that featured a modest return in terms of future draft picks but swiftly removed three burdensome contracts (Davis, D'Angelo Russell, and Jaden Hardy) from the Mavericks' payroll.”

Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints gave some further clarification on X/Twitter about the package they offered the Mavs for Davis.

"It was Jerami Grant, expiring contracts, and a heavily protected pick for Anthony Davis, and it never gained any traction whatsoever," Siegel posted. "Portland made one call, and Dallas was not interested. There weren't ongoing discussions, and that was that."

The two bigger expiring contracts the Blazers had were Robert Williams III and Matisse Thybulle, but that's not nearly the future salary relief the Mavs received from the Wizards.

Jan 6, 2026; Sacramento, California, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis (3) reacts after being fouled against the Sacramento Kings in the first quarter at the Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

Did the Mavericks Choose the Right Trade Package?

If we assume the trade package was something like Anthony Davis and Dante Exum for Jerami Grant, Matisse Thybulle, Robert Williams III, and a heavily protected future first-round pick, the Mavs chose the better trade package from the Washington Wizards.

The only salary on the books next season that came back in that trade is AJ Johnson, who is still on his rookie deal. Jerami Grant is due $34.2 million in 2026-27, then has a player option for the 2027-28 season at $36.4 million. He's probably picking that option up.

By trading with the Wizards, the Mavericks were also able to move off D'Angelo Russell and Jaden Hardy, which cleared nearly an additional $12 million for next season. Getting all of the financial flexibility, plus the five total draft picks, made the Wizards trade a no-brainer for Dallas.

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