Evaluating Mavericks roster after stunning Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis trade

With some of the dust settled, do the Mavericks actually look good on paper?

Jan 29, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving reacts to fan during the second half against the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images / Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

The Dallas Mavericks sent Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in arguably the most shocking trade in NBA history on Saturday night/Sunday morning, getting Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 Lakers first-round pick in return. If that package seems underwhelming, it is.

Getting through the emotions of the trade, how do the Mavericks actually look on paper? Does everything at least make sense on-court? Here's a closer look at the roster.

READ MORE: BREAKING: Luka Doncic shockingly traded to the Lakers for Anthony Davis

Mavericks' Starting 5

Dallas Mavericks forward P.J. Washington reacts to a foul call against the Washington Wizards during the second half at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Dereck Lively II is out until near the playoffs due to a stress fracture in his ankle, so he'll be held out of this exercise for now. When healthy, he's Dallas' starting center.

Four of the five starting spots seem obvious, as Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, Anthony Davis, and Daniel Gafford should be on the floor to start. Davis had been begging for the Lakers to add a center so he can slide back to his natural position of power forward, but this does leave questions on the fifth starter.

The ideal candidate would be P.J. Washington, but he's been a natural at power forward and has even played some small-center since Lively, Maxi Kleber (now a Laker), and Dwight Powell went down with injuries. Will small forward be an unnatural fit? If it doesn't work, Naji Marshall or Quentin Grimes could be promoted as full starters.

On paper, though, this is still a talented starting five, but Anthony Davis has to be a better shooter than he's been lately. He's shot below 30% from three-point range in each of the last five seasons, and having him and Gafford/Lively on the floor at the same time could really ruin the offense's spacing.

The defense should be tremendous when everyone is healthy, though. Davis is one of the best defenders in the NBA, Washington is a great perimeter defender, and Lively/Gafford is a great rim-protecting duo. But the offensive fit is absolutely concerning.

Dallas' Bench

Dallas Mavericks guard Quentin Grimes points to the team bench after he makes a three point shot against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second quarter at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Mavericks will still have a pretty solid bench consisting of Spencer Dinwiddie, Jaden Hardy, Dante Exum, Quentin Grimes, Max Christie, Naji Marshall, Olivier-Maxence Prosper, and Dwight Powell until Lively returns.

They could use another wing and/or frontcourt player, as trading Maxi Kleber does leave them a little thin at the 4. They also desperately need an upgrade at their backup point guard, especially now that Luka Doncic is gone and can't split minutes with Kyrie Irving. Spencer Dinwiddie likely can't be the primary backup point guard on a contending team.

Dallas does have an open roster spot, as they sent out three players to the Lakers (Doncic, Kleber, and Markieff Morris) while getting back two (Davis and Christie). They could be hunters on the buyout market or see if any cheap upgrades are available over the next week in the trade market. Matching salaries could prove difficult after trading away Kleber, their largest salary who didn't contribute at a high level.

But this bench has shooters (Hardy, Grimes, Christie), wing versatility (Marshall, Exum, and Prosper), and, once Lively returns, an elite backup center. This collection of talent will take getting used to, though.

READ MORE: Kyrie Irving 'stunned' by Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis swap between Mavericks & Lakers

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