The Dallas Mavericks are not about to get a massive trade return for Anthony Davis that will set them up for the future. The Smoking Cuban’s Noah Weber doesn’t believe the Mavs will get a return that even top-shelf role players/fringe stars have been getting over the past few years.
In particular, Weber believes Dallas’ front office would be dreaming if it had the idea that it could extract the same type of value from a Davis trade that the Memphis Grizzlies got from the Desmond Bane trade with the Orlando Magic, or the value the Brooklyn Nets got in the Mikal Bridges trade with the New York Knicks.
The Bane trade saw the Magic trade guard Cole Anthony, guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and four first-round draft picks (including the No. 16 pick in 2025, unprotected 2026, 2028, and 2030 first-round picks, plus a 2029 pick swap). The Bridges trade saw the Knicks send Bojan Bogdanović and five first-round draft picks to the Nets for the former Villanova Wildcats forward.
“Moves like the Desmond Bane and Mikal Bridges trades (four first-round picks and a swap for each player, along with matching salary) should not be compared to what Dallas is going to get for Davis (if they trade him),” Weber wrote.
“Davis' brutal injury history as of late has undoubtedly forced his trade value down, and the next couple of weeks will be pivotal when it comes to how much the Mavericks are going to receive in a prospective trade for him. If he dominates when he returns from his calf strain and looks like a top-15 player in the NBA, the Mavericks could find themselves netting an even bigger return than expected.
“If not, and he struggles and still looks out of shape, Dallas could be forced into taking an extremely low offer.”
Ultimately, the trade path from dealing Luka Doncic last February to whatever the team ends up getting for Davis will be further proof of why Nico Harrison was fired. Mavs fans have one more tough pill to swallow from that deal.
That the Nets and Grizzlies will end up with more from trading Bridges and Bane is a horse pill for MFFLs.