TRADE: Davis, Hardy, DLO, Exum to WAS | Middleton, filler, 2 FRPs, 3 SRPs to DAL

[KillerLeft]

I get apron and salary dumps, but usually dumps happen for players who are grossly overpaid wrt their talent. AD when he is on the court is still one of the best players.

I see this angle, but I also see validity in feeling (with near certainty) that AD will literally never again be on the court for long enough stretches, consecutively, for his talent to matter in a tangible sense. I think this trade goes quite a long way towards telling us that the Mavs don't have much faith in his "availability" moving forward. Tough to blame them, when the opposing view is so dependent on if's, but's and hopes. 

Believe me, I want(ed) to see the debate in the light you do. I LOVED watching him at the 5 and Flagg at the 4 while it lasted. I think he was vastly underrated here...when he played. 

The good news (for all of us, no matter where we fall in that argument) is that the uncertainty is in the rear-view mirror. I reluctantly admit that the odds Dallas will regret this deal seem pretty low to me. This is a reversal of my take over the past few months, in a sense, but I can't deny noticing a waive of relief pass through my body yesterday when this news came down.