The Dallas Mavericks chose to execute an Anthony Davis trade with the Washington Wizards that saved them money and netted them two middling first round picks rather than a package offered by the Toronto Raptors that would have forced them to take on long-term money.
The Raptors were reportedly offering some combination of Jakob Poeltl, RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley to the Mavericks for Davis.
Instead, the Mavericks took on expiring to get off Davis’ $58.5 million for the 2026-27 season and his $62.8 million player option for the 2027-28 season. Dallas unloaded Jaden Hardy’s $6 million deal along with D’Angelo Russell’s $6 million player option for the 2026-27 season.
Because Khris Middleton is on an expiring contract, the Mavericks did not have the luxury of waiting until the offseason to make the deal with the Wizards.
The Raptors have been scouring the trade market for a center and have also been involved in discussions for Domantas Sabonis.
The Mavericks now have only Max Christie, the Los Angeles Lakers’ 2029 first rounder and the two future picks via the Wizards to show for their Luka Doncic trade a year ago.