Anthony Davis Reveals True Feelings on Being Traded From Mavericks to Wizards

It's been two months since the Dallas Mavericks traded Anthony Davis to the Washington Wizards in what was essentially a glorified salary dump. They sent Davis, along with D'Angelo Russell, Jaden Hardy, and Dante Exum, for Khris Middleton, A.J. Johnson, Marvin Bagley III, Tyus Jones (as part of a three-team deal with the Charlotte Hornets), and five total middling draft picks.

Considering the value of Davis after he played in just 29 regular-season games with the Mavs, and that they're working with a co-interim GM setup with Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi, it was about as good as the Mavericks were going to do. They got off a lot of future money and brought in a lot of expiring contracts and some movable draft picks.

The trade came as a big surprise to Davis, though. He talked about it on Draymond Green's podcast this week.

“I didn't understand. I was like, ‘Damn, Washington?’ But when you get here, you look at the facilities... it’s like, ‘Not bad.’ I like the young guys on the team. These motherf*****s can play. They play hard. They’re not afraid of the moment," Davis said.

"...I'm always going to be about winning. No matter what, I wanna win. If that's here, then that's here. When you're in a rebuild... every year I play from here on out, I want to be able to compete for a championship. That's what I want to do. If their goals align... It's tough to be one of the worst teams in the league, then next year, you're a championship contender."

Anthony Davis on his trade to the Wizards:

“I was like, ‘Damn, Washington?’ But when you get here, you look at the team, it’s like, ‘Not bad.’ I like the young guys on the team. These motherfu—s can play. They play hard. They’re not afraid of the moment.”

(🎥 via @DraymondShow) pic.twitter.com/5NoMrEZgph
— Greg Finberg (@GregFinberg) April 8, 2026

Can Anthony Davis Still Contribute to Winning?

The Anthony Davis era in Dallas was extremely short-lived because of injuries. His debut as a Maverick, where you could talk yourself into the double-big lineups working, instead turned into the only game Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis played together. Davis got hurt in that game, and Irving tore his ACL about a month later.

Davis has yet to suit up for the Wizards, and it seems unlikely that he'll play in these final few games, due to a hand injury he suffered with the Mavs. They hope he'll be healthy next year and can pair with Trae Young to be formidable in the Eastern Conference, but how many games can you rely on Davis to play now? That was the big question surrounding the Mavs entering this season, and it ended up blowing up in their face.

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