Anthony Davis Trade Grades: Did Mavericks or Wizards Come Out on Top?

Anthony Davis was traded to the Wizards ahead of the NBA trade deadline. | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

This year’s NBA trade deadline continues to shock and awe, as Wednesday brought news that the Mavericks were trading Anthony Davis to the Wizards.

Per ESPN’s Shams Charania, Dallas is sending the All-NBA big man to Washington as part of a huge package involving a number of players and picks. For Davis, the Mavs will receive a pair of first-round picks (the Thunder’s ‘26 pick and the Warriors’ ‘30 pick with protections), a handful of second round picks, as well as the quartet of Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson, Malaki Branham and Marvin Bagley III. In return, the Wizards receive Davis, Jaden Hardy, D'Angelo Russell and Dante Exum.

Davis has been smack in the middle of trade rumors all season long and it isn’t surprising to see Dallas move on. But Washington is a very interesting and unexpected trade partner. The franchise was already active on the trade market this season, acquiring Trae Young earlier this year from the Hawks, and now move forward with a new, star-studded core after years of rebuilding. It may be a bit before fans see that core on the court; Young hasn’t suited up for the Wizards since being traded and Davis is currently out with a hand injury. But it is undeniably a whole new reality in Washington.

It’s a monumental move with many ramifications. Let’s break it down by grading the deal for both sides.

Anthony Davis trade grades for Mavericks, Wizards

• Mavericks get: Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson, Malaki Branham, Marvin Bagley III, 2026 Thunder first-round pick, 2030 Warriors first-round pick (protected), three second-round picks
• Wizards get: Anthony Davis, Jaden Hardy, D'Angelo Russell, Dante Exum

Mavericks: D+

A Davis trade felt inevitable in Dallas the moment his biggest supporter, Nico Harrison, was fired as the team’s general manager. That combined with his ongoing injury issues this season and his regularly-reported desire to receive a contract extension likely killed his trade market. It was clear to all the future of the Mavericks did not include AD.

But still. This was the best they could do?

On the player front the Mavericks got very little of value. Middleton is a nice veteran presence to have for Flagg but his days as a difference-maker on the court are far behind him. Johnson and Branham are former first-round busts who haven’t shown much potential. Bagley has become a passable rotation player after bouncing around the NBA but that’s it. Reporting around the Davis situation suggested the Mavs were hoping for a good young player in exchange for the star big man, which seemed optimistic, but they didn’t even land a positive contributor— much less one who will remain with the team beyond this season.

In terms of quantity the draft pick haul is nice given how bare the cupboards were in Dallas. Harrison’s various moves (and failure to get a haul of picks in the infamous Luka Dončić trade) meant the Mavericks had very little by way of draft picks in the next five years. This gives them an additional pick in this year’s draft, a few seconds to play with, and an enticing asset with the Golden State first-rounder since it will presumably convey in the post-Steph Curry era.

But those picks simply aren’t good value for a player of Davis’s caliber. The OKC pick will be near the very end of the first round this year. The Warriors’ pick is top-20 protected, limiting its value quite a bit and eliminating any hope of a Nets-Celtics situation where the Mavs land the No. 1 pick through another team’s misfortune. The chances of those assets resulting in a cornerstone player to put alongside Flagg, whether by trade or draft, is pretty low. Freeing up the cap sheet from Davis’s contract right now instead of six months from now doesn’t change matters.

Frankly it seems as though the primary motivation for this trade was to wash the franchise’s hands clean of the Dončić debacle. It’s hard to blame them for wanting to do so. But they didn’t have to trade Davis right now. This deal undoubtedly would have been there in the offseason. Dallas could have waited to see if the playoffs resulted in a contender overpaying for Davis after coming up short. Instead the Mavs pulled the trigger now, and it’s hard not to feel like it was a waste of the team’s best path towards building around Flagg.

Wizards: A

Well, alright, Washington!

This is a tremendous buy-low trade for Wizards GM Will Dawkins. In landing Davis the Wiz only had to ship out a few low-end rotation players; only Middleton plays more than 20 minutes per game. They didn’t have to give up a single draft pick of their own, instead sending out assets belonging to other teams. And those assets were not particularly valuable, either, as noted above. Landing a player of Davis’s caliber for, essentially, two late firsts and zero players who will be involved in the long-term future of the franchise is excellent business.

Of course, there are risks. Davis’s injury history is well-covered and deeply concerning as he moves into his mid-30s. He’s only played 29 games since getting traded to Dallas last February and last suited up on January 8. It’s impossible at this point to count on him to be healthy for long stretches and it doesn’t feel good to see a $54 million player in street clothes night after night. There is also the slight concern that, when Davis is on the court, prioritizing touches for him could hurt the development of 2024 No. 2 pick Alex Sarr or any of the other young Wizards who are in desperate need of seasoning at the NBA level.

Nevertheless, all that makes for a risk worth taking at the price point Washington paid. The idealized version of their team now features two All-NBA talents in Young and Davis, flanked by a variety of interesting young players who will learn how to win for the first time in their careers— the Wizards haven’t won more than 20 games since 2022-23. Plus, given both stars are sidelined right now, another high lottery pick in a loaded 2026 draft is very much in play for the 13-36 Wizards. If Young, Davis, or both flame out for one reason or another Washington still has plenty to build around.

What the team plans to do about Davis’s desire for an extension will further shape opinions on whether this is the right direction to take. But for now it is a great deal for a great talent.

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