For the most part, NBA observers expect the Washington Wizards to operate as they have for the past few years heading into the 2026 NBA trade deadline: renting out their cap space in exchange for young prospects and future draft picks, continuing their years-long “deconstruction” in the wake of the stunted John Wall/Bradley Beal era in search of the raw materials to build the franchise’s next contending unit.
However, there are slight murmurs – last month, Josh Robbins of The Athletic gave this: “Several league sources who have watched the Wizards trade from afar believe the Wizards will consider making additional opportunistic moves. […] Add another so-called “distressed asset.” “
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In the weeks since the “well, sure, why not, it doesn’t really cost us anything” deal with Trae Young, the Wizards have been preparing for a trade for a big man — a potential pick-and-roll partner for the four-time All-Star and paint-patrol partner for rising second-year shooter Alex Sarr. Maybe Domantas Sabonis. Maybe Walker Kessler.
Or, you know, “another so-called ‘distressed asset’.”
Multiple reports said that aside from tepid interest from Toronto, all was quiet on Anthony Davis’ front line, and the Wizards swooped in to snatch AD off the scrap heap, along with fourth-year guard Jaden Hardy, an injured Dante Exum and D’Angelo Russell, a mental wizard if ever there was one.
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“I was told this deal ‘came out of left field,'” Robbins wrote Wednesday afternoon. (I guess AD didn’t see it coming either.)
Price tag: About $40.5 million in expiring contracts (Khris Middleton, impending restricted free agent Malachi Branham, reserve center Marvin Bagley III), just-21-year-old guard A.J. Johnson, two first-round picks — Oklahoma City’s 2026 pick (likely at the bottom of the first round) and a top-20-protected 2030 Golden State Warriors first-round pick (from 2023 Jordan Poole trade in 2020, likely as a second-round pick) — as well as second-round picks in 2026 (Phoenix), 2027 (Chicago) and 2029 (Houston).
If you find yourself thinking, “Wow, that’s certainly not much of a return for the guy you traded for Luka Doncic”…well, you’re not alone. But the prospect of getting anything close to equal value for AD never really existed, and that prospect effectively disappeared when he suffered other A long-term injury a month before the trade deadline. Given the on-again, off-again nature of things, it makes sense that the post-Nico brain trust in Dallas decided the best thing to do was to get out of the Davis business entirely as quickly as possible — even if the returning draft picks and player package weren’t anything to write home about.
you know who yes But is it worth writing home about? Cooper Flagg – Wednesday’s move saves the Mavericks about $57 million this season, keeps them out of the luxury tax and under the first tarmac, creates a $20.8 million trade exception and increases the total number of available draft picks from three to eight – gives Dallas a major first step in the process of building a roster around him. It’s not much, but it’s not nothing.
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(It’s also questionable whether the Mavericks now have more flexibility to conduct more business before the buzzer blows at 3 p.m. ET on Thursday, with veterans like Daniel Gafford, P.J. Washington, Klay Thompson and [whispers] Kyrie Irving is still on the roster — the trade is over. )
Anthony Davis with Wizards
In Washington, D.C., the Wizards essentially pulled off their version of the “agent-forward swing” the Utah Jazz accomplished with Jaren Jackson Jr. on Tuesday, and AD’s situation on the floor appears to be pretty clean.
While the Wizards have been terrible since they were interested in trading Beal, the most direct path to respect and respectability in the NBA is to field a trustworthy defense. In theory, the frontcourt of Davis and Sarr should immediately improve Washington’s rim protection in the half-court; among 152 players who have defended at least 100 shots at the rim this season, Davis ranks 11th in field goal percentage and Sarr ranks 15th, according to Second Spectrum. That pairing with Bilal Koulibaly (6-foot-7, 7-2 wingspan) and Keshawn George (6-foot-8, 6-10 wingspan) would provide head coach Brian Keefe with enough length, mobility and block/steal/deflection creation to potentially spark a move up the defensive rankings — even with the undersized and ever-fragile Young on the ball.
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The game on the other end of the floor might be a little tight, with Sarr shooting just 31.4 percent from 3-point range over his first two pro seasons, and we’ve got enough evidence by now that Davis isn’t going to space the floor; his jump shot has all but abandoned him since the bubble days, when it emerged to make him look like the best player on the planet. Still, AD is an efficient scorer, averaging over 20 points per game on 50% shooting in limited minutes in Dallas this season, and Sarr has taken a major step forward in that regard in his second season, improving his finishing in the paint and on the break while also getting to the free throw line and getting to the line more often.
You can imagine the pick-and-roll with Young Davis and Young Sarr providing a productive foundation for a sustained offense, with Trae using his talents to get into the paint, win cat-and-mouse games with retreating big men in coverage, and threaten shooters to roll off screens or lurk for dunks Position teammates open up lobs and pocket passes, or to waiting shooters like George (42 percent from catch-and-shoot 3-point range this season), Barb Carrington (30.8 percent from catch-and-shoot 3-pointers this season) and rookie sharpshooter Trey Johnson (37.5 percent from catch-and-shoot 3-point range).
Of course, it all depends on whether Davis actually stays on the field — something he’s been unable to do over the past five years — and whether Keefe and his coaching staff can find the right balance to get the most out of the incoming veterans without hindering the development of Washington’s young core. But if they could – if you squinted beautiful It’s hard — you could see a team having a chance to be more consistent and competitive on a nightly basis next year than it has been in a decade.
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The question, of course, is whether “about half decent” is enough for the squeeze here. The price tag of five draft picks, a salary cut and a scratch-off ticket for the super-athletic Johnson isn’t as paltry as the C.J. McCollum-Cory Kispert package that signed Young. That’s not all That For the Wizards, that largely doesn’t require including any of the top prospects — Sarr, George, Johnson, Koulibaly, Carrington, Will Riley — and still controls eight first-round picks and 13 second-round picks over the next seven drafts.
That includes all of the Wizards’ first-round picks except this year’s, which the New York Knicks will receive if they don’t finish in the top eight of the draft lottery. (If that message doesn’t come through this season, the Knicks will end up with the Wizards’ 2026 and 2027 second-round picks.) The Wizards entered Wednesday’s game with a 13-36 record, tied for the fourth-worst record in the NBA, according to Tankathon, so they have a 99.3 percent chance of retaining the pick.
We should point out here that before the Hawks traded Young to Washington, D.C., he averaged more than 20 points and 10 assists in 28 minutes per game in five games, but Davis has yet to suit up for the Wizards due to quadriceps and knee injuries, and Davis has not played since January 8 after injuring his left ligament.
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Given the importance of retaining a mid-to-high lottery pick in what is said to be one of the most talent-rich draft classes in recent years, it’s reasonable to wonder whether the Wizards’ new “distressed asset” All-Star will play much for the rest of the season, or not at all. what happens back This season should be interesting, though.
Davis, who turns 33 next month and has played more than 56 games just once since winning the 2020 NBA title with the Lakers in the bubble six years ago, will make $58.5 million next season, has a $62.8 million player option for 2027-28 and is eligible for an extension this summer. Young, 27, has a player option worth $49 million for next season and is reportedly willing to extend his option.
What dollar figures — and perhaps more importantly, what dollar figures Year — How these two rising stars work with Wizards president Michael Winger and general manager Will Dawkins will go a long way in determining whether we ultimately view these trades as low-cost, opportunistic additions that can put Washington on the path to legitimate, sustained success… or, potentially, just the next millstone to drag down the Wizards’ balance sheet, hopes and vibe. (The Mavericks have learned a few things over the past year.)