Editor’s note: Our man Sudarshan initially wrote a monstrous story about his rationale for the Mavericks needing to trade Anthony Davis, so we’re splitting it into a three part series. What follows is Part 1, with the rest to follow in the coming days.
What a difference one miraculous stroke of fortune makes,
10 days ago, most Mavericks fans were in the doldrums, bemoaning the immaturity and sheer incompetence of a front office that was unable to get out of its way. Surely, at some point during these playoffs, we’ve all probably thought the Mavericks would’ve smoked these teams on their way to back-to-back finals appearances if Nico Harrison hadn’t traded Luka Doncic away. The Jayson Tatum injury and the Celtics’ inability to fire on all cylinders consistently, along with the Cleveland Cavaliers’ spectacular flameout, only add legitimacy to the argument that this could have been Dallas’ year had they stayed the course.
Then on Monday, the Basketball Gods/David Stern’s ghost/Adam Silver’s shiny 8-ball head smiled favorably on the Mavericks’ lottery odds and gave them the first overall pick in a draft with one of the most hyped prospects since Anthony Davis or Victor Wembanyama. Suddenly, for everyone in the Dallas Mavericks universe, from ownership to the fans, the world brightened, like when Thanos was finally defeated at the end of Avengers: Endgame. The future could be controlled again and wasn’t at the whims of a mad being hell bent on imprinting his vision on everything.
A lot of things had to fall into place for the Mavericks to win the Cooper Flagg lottery, and now that it’s here, one can’t help but think of all the possibilities the future holds in store. Mock drafts and draft profiles of thirty different prospects hold a little less meaning when the only thing that everyone in the Mavericks' universe needs to worry about is ensuring that Nico Harrison is locked in a closet somewhere from now until his contract runs out.
Now, while the idea of drafting Cooper Flagg has all of us salivating, it is merely one step on the path to redemption. Flagg is the kind of prospect that defines organizational direction, unlike most. You don’t simply add him to your roster. You bend your roster to maximize his potential. You move anyone and everyone who doesn’t fit/enable his play. Of course, someone like Flagg is a high-floor high ceiling prospect that can adapt to any situation, but that isn’t an efficient solution because these first few years are critical as they give him the platform to build on and ideally the organization should do everything to NOT force him into a style of play that might not be the best use of his talents.
Flagg’s ideal position based on scouting profiles so far is at the 3 with the potential to slide to the 4 when required. So, a starting lineup of Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, Cooper Flagg, Anthony Davis, and either Dereck Lively or Daniel Gafford would be, on paper, a good fit.
But I just don’t think that is the case.
Having Davis and one of Lively or Gafford on the floor majorly mucks up the spacing, leaving teams to pack the paint, leading to a flawed system of play on offense that will ultimately get found out in crunch time against high-level opposition. It, like the seeming double-big trend, might work as a gimmick during the regular season, when the games come at you fast and the variety in opponents means that crafting gameplans becomes a complicated endeavor, but in the playoffs, teams will find a way to pull it apart. The Cleveland Cavaliers are the perfect example of this. Some will rightly point out that they had to deal with injury issues, and that is valid, but the fact of the matter is that Indiana picked them apart with their up-tempo five-out spacing.
The trick isn’t just to be big. It’s about playing big even while physically being small. The Kevin Durant-imbued Warriors could play really big with Draymond Green at the 5, Durant at the 4, and Andre Iguodala, Klay, and Steph Curry at the other three positions being big enough. They had size, skill, and playmaking skills in spades and shot opponents out of the arena.
Last season’s Celtics and this season’s Pacers are of a similar mold. They have big men in Kristaps Porzingis and Myles Turner who can defend the rim admirably on defense, but space the floor and bomb away till opponents give up. They also have skilled big wings/guards like Jayson Tatum, Jalen Brown, and Derrick White for the Celtics and Andrew Nembhard or Aaron Nesmith, Pascal Siakam, and Tyrese Haliburton for the Pacers. When these teams go small, they don’t give up any advantage on the defensive end of the floor.
Considering the way the Mavericks roster is built following the Luka Doncic-Davis trade, one naturally gravitates towards PJ Washington being the odd man out. In the current lineup, Washington plays out of position at the 3. When Washington was at the 4, that role suited him perfectly as it minimized his weaknesses (ball handling, shot creation) while maximizing his strengths (finishing, defense). After the Luka trade, Washington’s weaknesses came to the fore when he looked turnover-prone and out of his depth next to the Mavericks’ big man tandem.
So, trade Washington, plant Flagg into the lineup and everything’s perfect right?
Again, I would argue otherwise.
The correct move is to trade Anthony Davis to recoup a high-level guard (any decent guard, really) to boost the team’s woeful depth at the position and to run the offense and/or play-off Kyrie when he returns post the All-Star break.
This allows for lineups like the ones the Mavericks were able to run out when they went on the Finals run in 2024, only with more defensive flexibility and spacing. The missing element (and it’s a big one) is the god level playmaking or scoring that Luka brought to the table. The hope is that the guard return in trading AD helps bring some of that to the table to maximize everyone else. The Mavericks can then play big on defense, while spacing the floor and tearing opponents apart on the offensive end of the floor.
Davis is a preternatural two-way talent and is a rightful all-time top 75 player. He is someone you would ideally trade for and build around. The keyword is ideally. His insistence on not playing the 5 hamstrings affects his effectiveness in today’s game. He can play at the 4 for small stretches, but most of his minutes should be at center, where he can use his athleticism and ball handling to take advantage of slow-footed big men or switches onto smaller defenders. Still, he has been insistent in wanting to play at 4, where his inability to guard smaller wings on the perimeter gets exposed. Or at least, it was by the end of this last season.
His mentality is another glaring issue. Davis rarely shows up when the occasion demands it against high-level opposition. Analysts will point to his big games down the stretch. We should counter that these were against the Bulls, Hawks, Raptors and Kings – hardly the kind of opposition that would have you in sweats, trying to figure out a way to score a win.
Starting tomorrow, I’ll break down the first grouping of trade scenarios about what the Mavericks could do with Davis. Check back then and head down the road of madness with me and the trade machine.
Editor’s note: Our man Sudarshan initially wrote a monstrous story about his rationale for the Mavericks needing to trade Anthony Davis, so we’re splitting it into a three part series. You just read Part 1, with the rest to follow in the coming days.