For the second consecutive season, the Dallas Mavericks were active at the trade deadline, orchestrating a massive deal that sent Anthony Davis to the Washington Wizards. While some fans are just happy to see Davis out of the picture, Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki admitted that he is disappointed with the transaction.

While Nowitzki acknowledged that the trade gives the Mavericks flexibility for the future, he believes they still could have gotten more in return for Davis, whom he believed was a good fit on the court with rookie Cooper Flagg.

“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,” Nowitzki said on ‘NBA on Prime.' “To me, looking at this deal, there's not a lot that came back for picks or player-wise, so this is all about financial flexibility for the future… I'm a little disappointed, obviously. I think when AD actually played with Cooper, they played off each other really well. That was a solid combo, but we'll never know.”

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The Mavericks sent D'Angelo Russell, Jaden Hardy and Dante Exum to the Wizards. They gained Khris Middleton, Marvin Bagley III, Tyus Jones and A.J. Johnson in return, along with two future first-round draft picks.

One of those picks is the Oklahoma City Thunder's 2026 first-round selection, which will likely fall in the 25-30 range. The other is the Golden State Warriors' 2030 first-rounder.

While Dallas ceded a lot in terms of name value, none of the losses affect Jason Kidd's current rotation. Davis has not played since Jan. 8, and Exum has not seen the court at all in 2025-2026. Russell, who began the season as the team's sixth man, fell out of the rotation and has not played since Jan. 10.