Every Passing Playoff Game Proves Mavericks Took Correct Anthony Davis Trade Package

The Mavericks could've had Zaccharie Risacher in the Anthony Davis trade, and it may be a good thing they didn't.

Dec 23, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis (3) looks down during the game between the Mavericks and the Nuggets at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Dallas Mavericks knew they were never going to get the return on investment from trading away Anthony Davis. There was never going to be a package brought back that made it worth trading away Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers.

All things considered, though, they did about as well as they could. They traded Anthony Davis to the Washington Wizards in February, along with Jaden Hardy, D'Angelo Russell, and Dante Exum, for Khris Middleton, Marvin Bagley III, Tyus Jones, AJ Johnson, and five total draft picks.

Even if none of the picks will end up being higher than the 21st pick in any draft, it still accomplished the three things that they wanted to do: clear future salary, add draft capital, and acquire a young player. Making this trade cleared more than $67 million off the books for next season, as AJ Johnson, a first-round pick two years ago, is the only player they brought back that is under contract for next season. Khris Middleton and Marvin Bagley could always be brought back, but there's no world where they reach that amount.

Especially when you consider the other packages the Mavericks had on the table, this was as good as it was going to get for an Anthony Davis trade.

Mar 14, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher (10) dribbles against the Milwaukee Bucks in the fourth quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Jakob Poeltl, Zaccharie Risacher Floundering in NBA Playoffs

There were two other teams reported to be interested in trading for Anthony Davis, both of which ended up making the playoffs: the Toronto Raptors and the Atlanta Hawks.

The Raptors' offer centered around Jakob Poeltl and adding another bloated salary, like RJ Barrett or Immanuel Quickley, to pair with some draft capital for Anthony Davis.

Meanwhile, the Hawks never wanted to put their pick swap coming in from the New Orleans Pelicans on the table, but their deal would've included Kristaps Porzingis. The Mavericks would've wanted them to add Zaccharie Risacher, the first overall pick from the 2024 NBA Draft, into the discussion as well.

It's a good thing neither of those happened. Jakob Poeltl has been awful through two playoff losses to the Cleveland Cavaliers so far, combining for 6 points and 10 rebounds between them. He's also under contract for the next four seasons at $103.5 million after he was surprisingly signed to an extension last season. He ended up playing just 9 minutes in Game 2, which was 9 more than he should've played.

Zaccharie Risacher has been even more unplayable for the Atlanta Hawks. He went scoreless in Game 1 against the New York Knicks on 0/3 shooting, then was a healthy scratch for Game 2. He may have some potential stashed down somewhere, but Jason Kidd likely never would've gotten it out of him.

The Mavericks did as well as they could have in the Anthony Davis trade. They have the financial flexibility to build the team around Cooper Flagg much better now.

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