The reaction around Dallas was supposed to be relief. Instead, the loudest response came from the franchise’s most trusted voice. When the Dallas Mavericks moved on from Anthony Davis at the trade deadline, much of the focus centered on injury relief and future flexibility. Yet for Dirk Nowitzki, the deal represented something else entirely. Disappointment.

Appearing on Amazon Prime’s NBA pre-game show, Nowitzki did not hide how he felt about the Mavericks’ decision to trade Davis to the Washington Wizards. “They got rid of contracts that were not favorable for the franchise,” Nowitzki said. “I’m a little disappointed.”

For a front office clearly pivoting toward the future, that reaction mattered. Nowitzki acknowledged the financial logic behind the deal, but his frustration centered on what the Mavericks walked away from before ever fully seeing it develop. “When AD actually played with Cooper, they played off each other really, really well,” he said. “I think it was a solid combo, but we’ll never know.”

That unfinished evaluation is what bothered him most.

By sending Davis, Jaden Hardy, D’Angelo Russell, and Dante Exum to Washington, Dallas effectively closed the door on competing in the present. In return, the Mavericks received Khris Middleton, Marvin Bagley III, AJ Johnson, Malaki Branham, and a package of future draft picks.

From Nowitzki’s perspective, the return did not match the magnitude of the decision. “There’s not a lot that came back with picks or player-wise,” he said. “To me, this is all really about financial flexibility for the future.”

That framing explains why the move felt less like a retool and more like a reset. The Mavericks were no longer trying to balance timelines. They were choosing one.

The Dallas Mavericks are ready to rebuild around Cooper Flagg

With Davis gone, Dallas has fully committed to building around Cooper Flagg. The rookie has already emerged as the team’s primary option, largely due to Davis’ inability to stay on the floor.

Flagg is averaging 20.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 4.2 assists this season. He also set the record for most points scored by a teenager in a single NBA game when he dropped 49 against Charlotte.

Because of that production, the Mavericks’ decision now makes practical sense, even if it still stings historically. However, Nowitzki’s disappointment highlights what Dallas abandoned. The potential trio of Davis, Flagg, and Kyrie Irving will never get its full evaluation. Instead, the organization chose certainty over patience.

The Davis experiment itself traces back to the Luka Dončić trade, a decision that continues to define every major move the Mavericks make. Davis played just 29 games for Dallas, while Dončić has since become the face of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Nowitzki believes the fan response to this trade is rooted in that lingering wound. “I think the Mavs fans are happy with this,” he said. “I think they didn’t want to be reminded of what happened a year ago in the Luka trade.” In that sense, the Davis deal was not just about basketball. It was emotional housekeeping.

Dallas is not winning right now, but the direction is clear. The rebuild is underway, and Flagg is the foundation. The Mavericks have financial flexibility, draft capital, and a rookie already performing at a star level.

Still, every future move will be judged against the same standard. Can this path eventually erase the consequences of the Dončić trade? For Nowitzki, the disappointment does not mean disbelief. It means the bar remains high. The Mavericks have chosen their timeline. Now comes the hard part.