The Dallas Mavericks have shaken up their roster in a major way after trading Anthony Davis to the Washington Wizards. Also included in this deal are D’Angelo Russell, Jaden Hardy, and Dante Exum.
In exchange, the Mavs acquired Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson, Malaki Branham, and Marvin Bagley III, as well as several draft picks.
Looking at the Mavericks’ Depth Chart After Trading Anthony Davis
The Mavericks traded away several guards in the deal. That leaves a bit of a hole at point guard, at least until Kyrie Irving returns. Cooper Flagg can play the position and run the offense, but aside from the rookie, Ryan Nembhard is the primary backup.
Max Christie, who’s averaged 13.9 points and 2.2 assists, should remain as their starting shooting guard, with no major changes in that position.
Branham averaged just 9.8 minutes per game in 28 outings with the Wizards. Similarly, Johnson also saw sparse playing time, averaging only 8.6 minutes in 25 outings. The two of them are likely going to remain as reserves with little playing time, even on their new team.
Middleton, who has become a tweener in the small and power forward positions, should provide reinforcement for the oft-injured frontcourt of the Mavs. The same goes for Bagley, who can take up either the power forward or center position.
As a veteran with championship experience, Middleton’s integration will be interesting. He started in all 34 games he played for the Wizards, averaging 10.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 3.3 assists. Coach Jason Kidd will likely run some experiments to see if he works as a starter or is a better fit as Naji Marshall’s backup at the three or P.J. Washington’s backup at the four.
Bagley, who was mostly a backup center in Washington, should see plenty of minutes in the same role. He played 38 games before being traded, eight of which as a starter. When he came off the bench, he averaged 9.1 points and 5.0 rebounds. As a starter, those numbers were bumped up to 14.0 and 8.1. Still, Gafford should retain his spot as the primary starting center in Kidd’s system.
With all this roster movement, Klay Thompson will likely remain in the mix of players Kidd often uses. He can play either wing position and can be slotted at the two or the three, depending on the situation.
The Mavericks are far from true competitors this season, despite Flagg’s stellar play. As such, fans can expect the team to do several experiments with its lineup for the remainder of the season to find the best fit for its new players.
