Dallas Mavericks trade superstar in megadeal involving 8 players, 5 draft picks
The Dallas Mavericks are out of the Anthony Davis business, and the reverberations of the franchise’s much-maligned Luka Doncic trade continue.
The Mavericks dealt Davis, Jaden Hardy, D’Angelo Russell and Dante Exum to the Washington Wizards for Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson, Malaki Branham, Marvin Bagley III, two first-round draft picks and three second-round picks, according to multiple reports.
Davis, a 10-time All-Star center/power forward, was the main piece the Mavericks received when they traded Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in February, but he couldn’t stay healthy for most of his time in Dallas.
The Mavericks have been trying to win back fans who were devastated by the trade of Doncic, who had led Dallas to the NBA Finals the season before. General manager Nico Harrison, the architect of the deal, was fired earlier this season amid continued anger from fans.
The promised pairing of Davis alongside guard Kyrie Irving never materialized because of injuries to both players. Meanwhile, Doncic leads the NBA in scoring this season at 33.4 points per game.
Davis managed to play in only 29 games over parts of two seasons in Dallas, averaging 20.2 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.8 blocks. Davis is making $54.1 million this season. He is owed $58.5 million next season and $62.8 million in 2027-28.
The Mavericks are 19-31 this season, 12th place in the Western Conference. They are 10-10 when Davis plays and 9-21 when he doesn’t.
The deal represents the start of a rebuild around rookie No. 1 overall draft pick Cooper Flagg, the probable Rookie of the Year, who is averaging 20.1 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.2 assists this season.
As for the rest of the Mavericks being dealt:
— Hardy, a fourth-year guard, is averaging 6.9 points and 1.4 rebounds.
— Russell, an 11th-year guard and 2019 All-Star, is averaging 10.2 points, 2.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists.
— Exum, an eighth-year guard, has not played this season because of a knee injury.
As for the players the Mavericks are receiving from the Wizards:
— Middleton, a 14th-year forward out of Texas A&M, is a three-time All-Star who won an NBA title with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021. He is averaging 10.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists this season.
— Johnson, a second-year guard, is averaging 2.8 points and 1.2 rebounds.
— Branham, a fourth-year guard, is averaging 4.6 points and 1.6 rebounds.
— Bagley, an eighth-year forward, is averaging 10.1 points 5.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists. He was taken No. 2 overall in the 2018 draft by the Sacramento Kings, one spot ahead of Doncic.
This story was originally published February 4, 2026 at 1:14 PM.
