Yesterday, I made a lengthy case explaining the roster situation the Dallas Mavericks find themselves in. To build a roster for now and the future, Anthony Davis must be sacrificed. That is the reality of the situation facing the Mavericks after the lottery. A sensible person would consider it the most logical outcome to take the team forward.
GMs around the league are already beginning to point this out as a viable strategy to build for the future. It’s not a knock on Anthony Davis. It’s a question of how he fits this team now that Cooper Flagg is in the mix.
To that effect, I looked at some trade scenarios that could net Dallas assets to contend/compete while also building for the future. These range from fairly sensible to quite wacky, but I’ll let all of you be the judge of that.
I have three disclaimers before we begin:
All of these are illogical by default, since He-Who-Should-Be-Fired is most probably not trading Anthony Davis after all the kerfuffle of the Luka trade and how AD fits the “defense wins championships” culture. Let’s not let that little detail derail this thought exercise, though (See Chris Mannix’s point in the video above).
Draft pick compensation might not be completely realistic as it’s the most nebulous part of trade conversations. So, this exercise primarily focuses on the players who could be moved around.
These are scenarios that look at situations where all teams “win” in some form. It might be utopian to think of this as a possibility, but that’s the exercise. Of course, the idea of “winning” a trade is in the eye of the beholder, and that makes it subjective by default, but that was the goal when running through these. It’s not just about aggregating all the best players in the trade on the Mavericks.
Onwards!
Scenario 1: Bring Trae Young Back to Dallas
The Atlanta Hawks, stuck on the treadmill of mediocrity, decide to cash in on Trae Young and build around its young core of Dyson Daniels, Jalen Johnson, Zaccharie Risacher and Onyeka Okongwu.
The Trade
A Dallas-Atlanta-Los Angeles Three team trade scenario
Summary
DAL receives Trae Young, LAL 2025 1st Rd. Pick, LAL 2025 2nd Rd. Pick (#22 & #55, via ATL)
ATL receives Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves, Dalton Knecht, LAL 2031 1st Rd. Pick
LAL receives Daniel Gafford
For Dallas
Defense takes a hit with Young in the lineup, but the immense switch-ability of Flagg, Washington, and Lively could compensate for that. No one can deny Young’s playmaking and shot-making, which would unlock Washington and Lively’s effectiveness once again, opening the floor for Flagg to get to his comfortable spots. Once Kyrie is back, Young and Irving would form a formidable offensive tandem that could terrorize opponents into submission. Depending on further moves, this could open more flexibility under the first apron to wheel and deal for additional players to suit the roster.
For Atlanta
The Hawks get a soft rebuild around a two-way anchor in Davis, who moves to the much weaker Eastern Conference and can theoretically play the 5 next to Okongwu. The addition of Austin Reaves provides secondary ball-handling and scoring, which would partly compensate for the loss of Young. They could then use the 13th pick in this year’s draft to load up on a scoring guard like Jase Richardson or Jeremiah Fears to pair next to Dyson Daniels.
For Los Angeles
For the Los Angeles Lakers, they get their starting center, one who has built-in chemistry with Luka Doncic, and they sacrifice their defensive traffic cone to do so. Austin Reaves is a regular-season frontrunner who teams routinely target in crunch time to break the Lakers’ defense. Gafford gives them a solid paint presence on both ends and could get paid like a starting center like he wants. The Lakers also get more room under the first apron to build around Luka and Lebron and only sacrifice their 2031 first rounder in the deal.
Scenario 2: Kevin Durant asking out reshapes the Western Conference
The Houston Rockets, fresh from flaming out in the first round as the two seed, acts on its long-rumored interest in Kevin Durant who asks out of Phoenix. The Suns, looking for a change in direction, hit the refresh button to create some avenue of contention now and in the future.
The Trade
A five team trade scenario involving Dallas, Phoenix, Houston, Los Angeles and Sacramento
Summary
DAL receives Devin Booker, Aaron Holiday, Nate Williams, LAL 2031 1st Rd. Pick
PHX receives Anthony Davis, Fred Vanvleet, Cam Whitmore, PHX 2025 1st Rd. Pick, PHX 2027 1st Rd. Pick, LAL 2029 1st Rd. Pick (via DAL with Lottery Protections)
HOU received Kevin Durant, Vasilje Micic
LAL receives Daniel Gafford
SAC receives Austin Reaves, HOU 2026 2nd Rd. Pick
For Dallas
Considering the dire lack of shot creation and shot making, why wouldn’t Dallas jump at the opportunity to add one of the league’s premier scorers? At 28-years-old, Booker fits in better with the Mavericks squad than he did in Phoenix from a timeline standpoint, and his evolution as a playmaker over the past two years playing next to Kevin Durant means that he can run the offense while Kyrie is still recovering from injury. Dallas gets a player who’s comfortable shouldering the burden of scoring and is comfortable off the ball to form a formidable backcourt once Kyrie returns after the All-Star break. Aaron Holiday and Nate Williams get thrown in as salary fillers. Holiday’s team option means that the Mavericks can decline and clear more space.
For Phoenix
With Durant asking off the Phoenix Suns in this scenario, it triggers a whole cacophony of events, leading to Matt Ishbia to blow up the whole thing. Dallas jumping in with Davis gives them a lifeline to contend, and the trade helps them recoup their 2025 and 2027 picks and gives them some semblance of a future once more. The reduction of salary from Booker to VanVleet brings Phoenix under the second apron, giving them the flexibility to reshape the roster to suit their needs. Getting Davis and VanVleet along with the 10th pick in this year’s draft (their own 2025 pick salvaged back from Houston) means that the Suns get a premier big and a competent ball handler/scorer that, along with Beal and the draft pick, allows them a chance of competence that they wouldn’t have come close to after losing Durant.
For Houston
They get an experienced superstar in Durant who can help bridge the experience gap that a young roster lacks. The loss of the Phoenix picks is the price for this move, and VanVleet is the only player on the roster who makes sense from a salary-matching standpoint. The trade allows them to remain under the second apron, giving them the flexibility to reshape their roster around Durant, Sengun, Green, Smith Jr., and Thompson. They would need to trade for/sign a ball handler to balance out the roster, which is big/wing heavy, but it shouldn’t be as much of an issue considering that they remain asset heavy despite giving up the 2025 and 2027 Phoenix picks.
For Los Angeles
See Scenario 1. Gafford is their plug-and-play center for the next few years.
For Sacramento
The Sacramento Kings get Reaves and a second round pick for their role as trade facilitator. Their cap space takes a small hit, but nothing that impacts their ability to shape their roster. Sacramento is primed to blow it all up after trading away De’Aaron Fox, and Reaves is the perfect tank commander — someone who can run the offense next to Lavine and Monk, if they remain on the team to start the season.
Scenario 3: Giannis goes to San Antonio
Giannis, looking for a chance at contention on a team based in a state with no income tax, asks out of Milwaukee, looking to form a super team with Victor Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox in San Antonio.
The Trade
A five team trade scenario that sends Giannis Antetokounmpo to San Antonio
Summary
DAL receives Austin Reaves, Stephon Castle, ATL 2025 1st Rd. Pick (#14, via SA)
MIL receives Anthony Davis, Nic Claxton, SA 2025 1st Rd. Pick (#2), ATL 2027 1st Rd. Pick (via SA), SA 2029 1st Rd. Pick
SA receives Giannis Antetokounmpo, Gabe Vincent
LAL receives Daniel Gafford, Harrison Barnes
BKN receives Devin Vassell, Kyle Kuzma, Jaden Hardy, Dalton Knecht, LAL 2031 1st Rd. Pick
For Dallas
This is a rebuild scenario for Dallas, who add Stephon Castle to pair with Cooper Flagg and build around for the future. The addition of Austin Reaves, who, while he might be a defensive liability, provides a semi-reliable third/fourth option scorer to start or come off the bench, depending on what the situation calls for. The Mavericks come out of this with a clear direction for the future, while the return of Kyrie post All-Star break gives them a chance to make some noise towards the money end of the season. The addition of the 14th pick in this year’s draft (Atlanta’s pick from the Dejounte Murray trade) gives them a means to add high-level depth to build around the young core. Personally, I’d look at another big/big wing with Davis and Gafford moved out in this scenario — Danny Wolf or Rasheer Fleming maybe?
For Milwaukee
With Giannis gone, the Milwaukee Bucks rebound with a slightly less heralded two-way monster along with Nic Claxton to enable Davis to play at the 4 for stretches if the situation calls for it. The addition of the second pick allows them to draft Dylan Harper to pair with and eventually take over from Damian Lillard once he returns from his Achilles injury. The addition of Atlanta’s 2027 and the Spurs’ own 2029 pick gives them more ammo to build in the future or to package in a trade for another contributor. For Anthony Davis, it represents a chance to fill the Giannis void and become a force in the weaker Eastern Conference.
For San Antonio
The San Antonio Spurs get Giannis to pair with Victor Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox to form a new super team contender in the West. They sacrifice a significant chunk of their draft pick war chest as well as young players like Castle and Vassell, but such is the cost of acquiring a two-time MVP at the peak of his powers to play alongside your generational phenom.
For Los Angeles
Like Scenarios 1 and 2, they sacrifice Reaves to land their center to pair with Luka and LeBron. In this case, though, they add a proven role player in Harrison Barnes to add to the rotation of DFS, Rui Hachimura and Jarred Vanderbilt — another player who can spot up and knock down the looks created by Luka and LeBron’s playmaking.
For Brooklyn
For their role in facilitating all the salaries in the trade, Brooklyn walks away with young players like Devin Vassell, Dalton Knecht and Jaden Hardy. They take back Kyle Kuzma’s salary in the move but are rewarded with the Lakers’ 2031 pick for their troubles.
This is getting too long. We’re in silly season now. But what if I told you there were three more scenarios? There are. Check back in to see how deep the rabbit hole goes in Part 3.
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 canread Part 1 in case you missed it.