Wizards Add All-Star Big Man Anthony Davis At NBA Trade Deadline (2-6-26)
By: Jaden Golding
Headline Photo Credit: NBA
WASHINGTON D.C. — As if adding Trae Young last month wasn’t a shocking move for the Washington Wizards franchise, they made another big splash at the 2026 NBA Trade Deadline, this time for superstar two-way big man Anthony Davis.
ESPN’S Shams Charania first broke the news Wednesday afternoon, reporting that the Dallas Mavericks had agreed to send Davis, guards D’Angelo Russell, Jaden Hardy, and Dante Exum to D.C. in exchange for veteran forward Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson, Malaki Branham, Marvin Bagley III, 2026 first-round pick (OKC), 2030 first-round pick (GSW), and three future Washington second-round draft picks.
Dallas then traded Branham to the Charlotte Hornets for guard Tyus Jones.
What a move by Washington general manager Will Dawkins, who’s now added two all-stars alongside the young core of D.C., without having to move any young pieces in these deals.
The outside consensus will say that Davis and Young are both at their lowest point, where the risk exceeds the reward. But I beg to differ, and that’s what the Washington front office was thinking as well.
The D.C. brass said in a statement to Charania, when the news first broke, that Washington is not exiting its deconstruction phase and is now shifting to delivering results on the court with wins and pushing for playoff basketball.
Benefits Of Adding A.D?
For Washington, this move was a no-brainer. You’re adding, yes, an aging superstar big man that, when healthy, is still averaging 20.4 ppg, 11.1 rpg, 2.8 apg, 1.7 bpg, 1.1 spg on 50.6 % shooting from the field.
Davis is one of the NBA’s best two-way players to step on the court. He’s an elite finisher at the basket, whether it’s backing you down, sizing up his defender from the elbow, and rolling on the pick-and-roll for the lob.
Pairing him with Young can provide a brutal 1-2 punch that will be hard to stop, because Young can shoot from anywhere on the floor and he knows how to find his teammates, especially off the roll, averaging a career 9.8 assists per contest.
Sliding Davis next to Sarr provides the Wizards with one of the best interior presences in the league. Davis can even slide to the power forward position as he did in the Los Angeles Lakers Championship season in 2020, or when paired up with DeMarcus Cousins in New Orleans.
Sarr will learn to elevate his game as a two-way big man from Davis and only continue to get better at just 20 years old.
Will The Wizards Regret This Move?
Washington didn’t risk too much with these moves. Yes, Davis is turning 33 in March and has had problems staying healthy throughout his career, which is concerning. But, he’s only under contract until the 2027-28 season, which includes a $62.8 million player option in the final season. Davis cap hit for next season will be $58,456,490, and Young has a $49 million player option next season. That’s a substantial amount of money committed to two players, but guys who have shown they are top players in the league and have played winning basketball.
Young will most likely sign a contract extension ahead of the 2026-27 season, locking in his place. Davis may be a wait-and-see, which hinges on his availability.
The Wizards have a talented young bunch composed of 2025 first-rounders Tre Johnson & Will Riley, 2025 second-rounder Jamir Watkins, Bilal Coulibaly, Kyshawn George, Bub Carrington, Justin Champagine, and Shariefe Cooper.
All players who continue to develop and get better every night. They will all learn and benefit from sharing the floor with Davis and Young.
