Everyone remembers where they were when they learned that the Mavericks agreed to trade Luka Dončić to the Lakers for a package headlined by Anthony Davis. It came out of nowhere, so much so that people thought ESPN's Shams Charania was hacked. According to Nico Harrison, the move was supposed to put Dallas in a better position to contend for a title with AD, but we know how that went.
The 33-year-old is now with the Washington Wizards, where he has a better chance of winning a championship than he would have if he had stayed with the Mavericks. Imagine reading that sentence in 2024, after Dončić and Kyrie Irving propelled Dallas to the NBA Finals. Oh, how quickly things can change.
Davis wants to contend for another title, an opportunity that was doomed from the start upon his arrival in Dallas, not through any fault of his own, though, unfortunately for him, he played only 29 games for the Mavericks due to injuries.
Wizards are better positioned to win a title than Mavericks
Davis is getting a fresh start in Washington, where he can help build a championship culture, but the Wizards are probably still a couple of years away from title contention. They are ahead of the Mavericks, though, who traded Davis for financial flexibility to build around Cooper Flagg. Even with the 19-year-old budding superstar and Irving (who may not be there for long), Dallas is still a ways off.
And as Mavericks owner Patrick Dumont told The Athletic, the Mavericks are in no hurry (subscription required) to return to the level they were with Dončić.
“I am naturally a patient person. I believe in building things over time. That’s how you make them resilient, and that’s how you make them durable."
He wouldn't have had to build something over time if he hadn't first helped destroy what Dallas already had, since he approved the Dončić trade. But at least for the Wizards, Dumont did the right thing, since it led the superstar to the nation's capital.
Wizards and Davis are evaluating each other
Washington and Davis are still early in their partnership, and both sides are waiting to see what the future holds. The Wizards chose not to discuss an extension with AD's camp when he became eligible over the offseason on Aug. 6. They want to wait to have those potential talks during the season and, as he said at media day, until after the season.
You can read that as Washington wanting to see whether Davis can stay in the lineup, and AD wanting to see how the Wizards' new-look roster stacks up against the rest of the conference and the league. He's had only good things to say at media day about the team's offseason moves, like their veteran additions, but we still don't know exactly what this team can do after finishing 17-65 last season.
We do know they'll win more than 17 games this season, perhaps considerably more if Davis and Trae Young stay healthy. That's key, particularly for AD, since he's due for a new contract.
Davis is still in his trial phase, as he was in Dallas. The Mavericks decided it wasn't worth investing in his future, which was a favor to him, since they're not in any rush to contend for a title, while the Wizards are on that path.
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