Mavericks Trade Anthony Davis to Wizards in Blockbuster Eight-Player Stunner

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Anthony Davis’s time with the Mavericks is officially over after just 29 total games.
Dallas offloaded the star power forward in a seismic trade with the Wizards on Wednesday, agreeing to send Davis, along with a handful of other pieces, to Washington.
The full trade sees Davis, D’Angelo Russell, Jaden Hardy and Dante Exum dealt to the Wizards in exchange for Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson, Malaki Branham, Marvin Bagley III and a package of draft picks including two first-round selections and three second-round picks, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
The first-round picks headed to the Mavericks are the Thunder’s first-round pick in 2026 and a ‘30 protected first-round pick from the Warriors. The second round picks are in ‘26 (Suns), ’27 (Bulls) and ’29 (Rockets).
Davis, of course, was acquired by Dallas in the infamous Luka Dončić trade last season. Injuries have limited his availability for the team, sidelining him for all but nine games in 2025–26, and 20 games this year. Davis hasn’t played since January 8 while dealing with a hand injury, the latest in a laundry list of ailments that have prevented him from suiting up since arriving in Dallas. He’s averaged 20.4 points, 11.1 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game this season. Now, just a couple days past the one-year anniversary of the Dončić-Davis trade, the latter already finds himself on the move again.
NEXT: Anthony Davis Trade Grades: Did Mavericks or Wizards Come Out on Top?
As for the rest of the return, Middleton is in the final year of his contract, so he and his $31 million salary could be a potential buyout candidate for the Mavs. Bagley, Johnson and Branham are all on expiring deals, too.
This marks the second marquee acquisition by the Wizards this season. The team landed Trae Young from the Hawks back in January, though the star point guard has been sidelined by injury and has not yet debuted for the franchise.
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Karl Rasmussen is a staff writer for the Breaking and Trending News team for Sports Illustrated. A University of Oregon alum who joined SI in February 2023, his work has appeared on 12up and ClutchPoints. Rasmussen is a loyal Tottenham, Jets, Yankees and Ducks fan.
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