Dallas Mavericks fans will see Anthony Davis’ most recent injury update and feel one thing: relief.

The Washington Wizards recently announced that Anthony Davis’ “volar plate tissue in his left hand has not fully healed,” prolonging his recovery process. Davis still hasn’t returned to the hardwood since getting injured as a member of the Mavericks on January 8, making Dallas’ decision to trade him look even better.

Anthony Davis still hasn’t returned — and it’s been almost three months

Davis is set to be reevaluated soon, and even with him foregoing surgery following the injury, his timeline to return has been extremely lengthy. It’s been nearly three months since Davis injured his hand, and even if he had remained in Dallas, it seems likely that he wouldn’t have returned by now either.

The Mavericks were smart to move on when they did, and him still being on the roster would’ve added more drama to a lost season in Dallas. Trading Davis allowed the Mavericks to create future financial flexibility and add draft capital, while also giving them multiple players who could return in free agency, with Khris Middleton and Marvin Bagley III.

Both players have been available and playing at a high level for Dallas since the trade deadline, but the same can’t be said about Davis. Even on his new team, the same story that plagued his time with the Mavericks has followed him.

This is the Anthony Davis injury cycle Mavericks fans know too well

His injuries are often much worse than initially reported or expected, as an injury he may deem minor can turn into a multi-week absence. Davis downplayed the adductor injury that he suffered in his first game with the team, but it ultimately forced him to miss the next 18 games.

He’s an excellent two-way big man who causes havoc defensively when he’s on the court, but remaining healthy has been the biggest problem of his NBA career. It’s what caused many Mavericks fans to turn against him earlier this season despite the preseason hype that Dallas would return to the NBA Playoffs, as they’d seen enough.

The Mavericks finally elected that they had been on the Anthony Davis rollercoaster for long enough when they sent him to the Wizards last month, and now Washington is stuck going through the whirlwind of emotions that come with Davis being one of your team’s superstars.

The Wizards are obviously being extra conservative with Davis and his return, given their place in the lottery standings, but this injury has seemed to become much more severe than expected, which isn’t unusual for Davis. There was optimism that he could return at some point this month, even if he had surgery, and his timeline to return without having surgery says a lot.

Trading Davis allowed the Mavericks to put their entire focus into building a contender around Cooper Flagg, and they’re no longer cornered into Nico Harrison’s former win-now approach. Most Mavs fans feel extreme relief that Davis is elsewhere now, and not having to live through his injury sagas is a major plus as well.