NBA Fans Rip Mavs for Anthony Davis Trade to Wizards 1 Year After Dealing Luka Doncic to Lakers

Just one year after shipping away star guard Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for a package headlined by star big man Anthony Davis, the Dallas Mavericks shocked the basketball world once again.

According to ESPN's Shams Charania, the Mavs are trading Davis to the Washington Wizards along with guards Jaden Hardy, D'Angelo Russell and Dante Exum. Dallas reportedly received forwards Khris Middleton and Marvin Bagley III, guards AJ Johnson and Malaki Branham, two first-round draft picks and three second-round picks.

New York Knicks star Josh Hart made a cryptic post around the news breaking, likely about the deal:

Naturally, fans on social media blasted the Mavs for moving on from Davis just a year after trading their face of the franchise to acquire him:

While the Mavs got most of the attention on social media, some chose to praise the Wizards for adding Davis after acquiring star guard Trae Young from the Atlanta Hawks just a month ago:

Davis played just 29 combined games for the Mavs over the last two seasons since being acquired last February. He's missed time this year with calf and groin injuries, and he's currently sidelined due to ligament damage in his left hand.

Dallas ranks 12th in the Western Conference with a 19-31 record, a far cry from what former general manager Nico Harrison envisioned when he declared in the aftermath of trading Doncic, "We're built to win now and in the future." Harrison was fired in November after a 3-8 start to the season, and the team trading Davis a few months after he was let go leaves an even bigger stain on his tenure as the team's GM.

The Mavs will now focus on building around 2025 No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg, who has shown flashes of star potential in his rookie season. Star point guard Kyrie Irving is still recovering from a torn ACL suffered last March, and his future in Dallas could also be in question if the team commits to a full-scale rebuild.