A breakdown of the Anthony Davis trade details, sending the Dallas Mavericks star to the Washington Wizards ahead of the NBA Trade Deadline.
An already wild NBA Trade Deadline took another crazy turn today as the Dallas Mavericks and Washington Wizards came to terms on a massive deal. The deal will see Anthony Davis, most notably the centerpiece of the Luka Doncic trade to the Los Angeles Lakers, being shipped away to the nation’s capital in a huge trade involving a ton of players and picks. We break down the Anthony Davis trade details and grade the deal for both sides.
Anthony Davis Trade Details | NBA Trade Deadline
The Dallas Mavericks and Washington Wizards have finalized a massive Anthony Davis trade that will shake the current landscape of the NBA. The Dallas Mavericks are sending Anthony Davis, Jaden Hardy, D’Angelo Russell and Dante Exum to the Washington Wizards in exchange for Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson, Malaki Branham, Marvin Bagley III, two first-round picks and three second-round picks.
Obviously, the biggest piece in this deal is Anthony Davis. Looking at what the Wizards had to trade for him, they really didn’t have to give up much. Khris Middleton is aging, AJ Johnson, Malaki Branham and Marvin Bagley III are all either young and unproven, or have been in the league for a few years with not a ton of individual success to show for it. Really, the only pieces of value going back to Dallas are the draft picks. The two first-round picks include the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 2026 first-round pick and the Golden State Warriors’ 2030 first-round pick that is protected. The three second-round picks in the deal come from the Phoenix Suns in 2026, Chicago Bulls in 2027 and Houston Rockets in 2029.
Wizards Win Trade by a Landslide
In what has now apparently become the norm, the Dallas Mavericks continue to dismantle a team that was in the NBA Finals just two seasons ago. They have now traded away superstar point guard and past face of the franchise Luka Doncic, and the guy they traded him for in just over one calendar year. Outside of Davis, the Mavericks only got Max Christie and a first-round pick for Doncic. By trading Davis now, the franchise essentially traded their superstar and leader of an NBA Finals team for an Anthony Davis rental and three first-round picks.
Looking towards the future, the Wizards have an odd, but interesting team they’ll be putting together. As long as health stays on their side, they’ll be able to roll out a starting lineup that includes Trae Young, Anthony Davis and young pieces like Tre Johnson, Bub Carrington and Kyshawn George. While they certainly won’t be competing for a championship, they will definitely be in the hunt in the Eastern Conference as long as they can stay healthy.
Wizards Grade: A-
Mavericks’ Crumble Continues
To put it simply, this trade is even worse than the Luka Doncic trade, and it’s not even close. While the trading away of Doncic was inexcusable, if the Mavericks had the intention of building around Anthony Davis, the trade would’ve at least been understandable. Now, by trading away Davis, they sit with some role players and future draft picks, some of which aren’t even lottery picks, for nothing. They traded away their franchise for a project they gave up on in less than a year.
Even if the plan is to cut their losses and build around Cooper Flagg, this trade makes zero sense. Why would the Mavericks trade their best asset for only two first-round picks? In addition, the only first-round pick that they have before 2030 from this trade is the Thunder’s this year. While they’ve struggled lately, they are still clearly one of the best teams in the league and will likely be strong title contenders again come playoff time. Their first-round pick is essentially a second-round pick. Picks outside of the draft lottery in the NBA are sub-par anyway, so this being part of the return is just inexcusable. Hopefully, for the sake of Dallas fans everywhere, this is the last time they blow up their team for no reason.
Mavericks Grade: F-
NBA Landscape Altered Again After Dallas Mavericks Trade
This Anthony Davis trade may be the most consequential in this whole NBA Trade Deadline, regardless of what happens next. The Wizards have shown that they are done sitting at the bottom waiting for their turn and, at the very least, are going to do everything in their power to be at least a playoff team. Without having to give up much draft capital and with plenty of young talent on their team, they could be the team next in line in the Eastern Conference with just one or two more moves.
As for Dallas, they have likely lost all faith from their fans once again, and they will have a lot to answer for. Two wrongs don’t make a right, and if their rebuild under Cooper Flagg doesn’t happen very fast, there will likely be another regime change in Dallas. The trade also takes one possible contender in the future out of the running for the next few years, making the Western Conference the Thunder’s to lose until someone can step up and prove otherwise.
