Today, the Mavericks made a truly mind-numbing decision, trading away the prized return from the Luka Doncic deal that shocked the NBA just a year ago: Anthony Davis.

In this trade, Washington received Anthony Davis, Jaden Hardy, D’Angelo Russell, and Dante Exum. While Dallas got Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson, Malaki Branham, Marvin Bagley III, two future first-round picks, and three future second-round picks. Simply put, that’s not nearly enough for a superstar, let alone a player who is arguably one of the top three at his position when healthy.

It’s wild to think that just one season ago, in 2023–24, the Mavericks were competing in the NBA Finals behind their franchise cornerstone, Luka Doncic. Fast forward to today, and the torch has officially been passed to 19-year-old phenom Cooper Flagg. A full rebuild now feels inevitable, and it’s one that will likely take several years to complete, something absolutely no one saw coming two years ago.

The Mavericks started the season to win the NBA Finals at +3500 on Fanduel. Today, after the trade, they stand at +100000.

When you zoom out, this is what the Mavericks ultimately turned Luka Doncic into: Khris Middleton, Max Christie, AJ Johnson, Malaki Branham, Marvin Bagley III, three first-round picks, and multiple second-round picks. Mind you, not at the time of the Luka trade, he was seen as arguably the Best player in the sport. That return is simply inexcusable, it certainly doesn’t replace a generational superstar who was beloved by the fans.

Mavs fans, on behalf of the rest of the NBA, you officially have permission to root for a new team.

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