For the second straight year, the Dallas Mavericks made a stunning move ahead of the trade deadline—and it involved Anthony Davis.
On Wednesday, the Mavericks sent Davis to the Washington Wizards, along with D'Angelo Russell, Jaden Hardy, and Dante Exum in exchange for Khris Middleton, Marvin Bagley III, AJ Johnson, Malaki Branham, and five future draft picks.
It officially erased the era of former general manager Nico Harrison, who acquired Davis from the Los Angeles Lakers at last year's trade deadline by shockingly trading Luka Doncic.
Harrison was castigated for the head-scratching move, but he was adamant that it was the right one. Now, with Davis being shipped to the Wizards after barely suiting up for the Mavericks, Harrison's old quote has resurfaced.
“Nico Harrison about this time last year after the Anthony Davis-Luka Doncic trade: ‘Time will tell if I’m right.' Time has indeed told,” wrote ClutchPoints' Joey Mistretta on X.
The 32-year-old Davis only played 29 games for Dallas, as he has been hampered by injuries anew. He is currently out for several months due to a hand injury. He averaged 20.2 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.8 blocks in his short stint with the Mavericks.
Harrison claimed that the 10-time All-Star would be the foundation of the Mavericks, adding that he traded the 26-year-old Doncic due to his poor conditioning.
Harrison was fired in November amid a growing clamor from fans. Mavericks owner Patrick Dumont, who approved the Doncic-Davis swap, apologized to fans, stressing the need to “return winning basketball to Dallas.”
