Why Dirk Nowitzki is 'Disappointed' Mavericks Traded Anthony Davis to Wizards

The Dallas Mavericks made a big decision for the future of the franchise this week, trading Anthony Davis, D'Angelo Russell, Jaden Hardy, and Dante Exum to the Washington Wizards. The return was mostly expiring contracts and middling draft compensation, but more than anything, it really opened up some flexibility for the future.

Davis, Russell, and Hardy were set to make a combined $70 million next season, and the only player they took back who has money on the books for next season is AJ Johnson, who is still on his rookie contract.

Dallas Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki, who is now a part of the Amazon Prime studio show, spoke on the matter and why he's a little disappointed about it.

"Well, I'll tell you one thing, I think the Mavs fans are happy with this. I think they didn't want to be reminded of what happened a year ago in the Luka trade. So, to me, looking at this deal at first glance, there's not a lot that came back for picks or player-wise. So this is all really about financial flexibility for the future. And you know, they got rid of some contracts that were not favorable for the franchise.

"So, I'm a little disappointed, obviously. I think when AD actually played with Cooper, they played off each other really, really well. I think that was a solid combo, but we'll never know. I think what this ultimately is now is built around Cooper. Go young. See what the next year brings, with what the draft brings this summer. So ultimately now they're all in on Cooper Flagg and his future, and that's what they're going to build around."

.@blakegriffin23 & @Swish41 both agree it is time for the Mavericks to build around Cooper Flagg ⭐ pic.twitter.com/iScSrIAvbv
— NBA on Prime (@NBAonPrime) February 7, 2026

There Are Plenty of Reasons for Dirk Nowitzki to be Disappointed

More than anything, Nowitzki is still upset that Nico Harrison traded away Luka Doncic. Everybody expected Doncic to follow in Nowitzki's footsteps, be the torchbearer of the franchise, and have a statue next to Dirk's one day.

It didn't help that the player Doncic was traded for, Anthony Davis, only played in 29 of a possible 85 games for the Mavs. He's still a good player when he's healthy, but he's rarely healthy at this point in his career.

The return in the trade was never going to equal anywhere close to the value of Doncic. Realistically, this is the best they were ever going to get for Davis, considering his age, contract, and injury history. They are completely under the tax for next season when they were projected to be a second-arpon team.

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