The Dallas Mavericks made a questionable decision.
They didn’t let anybody but the Los Angeles Lakers know that they wanted to trade Luka Doncic.
GM Nico Harrison said that the team needed to improve its defense, which is why they pursued Anthony Davis.
Now, the former NBA champion has echoed a similar sentiment.
Talking ahead of his Mavericks debut, the former Lakers star claimed that he felt like the team could be very dangerous on the defensive end of the floor (via Joey Mistretta):
“I just think defensively we are going to be a problem… I’m confident in our group and what we can do,” he said.
Anthony Davis: “I just think defensively we are going to be a problem… I’m confident in our group and what we can do.”#MFFL pic.twitter.com/fdawEcS1zD
— Joey Mistretta (@JoeyMistretta_) February 9, 2025
The Lakers had no intention whatsoever of moving on from Davis, but if an opportunity like this comes knocking, you just have to take it.
Then again, as lopsided as this deal may have seemed on paper, and as hard to justify as it was, we can’t ignore the fact that Davis is one of the best defensive players in the league.
The Mavs are going to have a lot of size to match up with other teams, and they could be a matchup problem for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Davis, Daniel Gafford, P.J. Washington, and Dereck Lively II are going to be an absolute nightmare on both sides of the glass, and they should thrive in the pick-and-roll with Kyrie Irving running the offense.
The Mavs made it to the NBA Finals just months ago, and teams like that don’t usually make roster-altering moves.
Only time will tell if they made the right choice, but they should definitely be better on defense.
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