Shams Details What Warriors Must Give Wizards to Land Anthony Davis

ESPN's Shams Charania has repeatedly said the Golden State Warriors need to trade for Wizards center Anthony Davis to land LeBron James in free agency.

On Tuesday, Charania revealed the Wizards' asking price for Davis, and it's massive.

Charania said the Wizards want multiple first-round picks, multiple first-round pick swaps and multiple second-round picks. This was under the assumption that injured star Jimmy Butler would be the outgoing player in the trade talks.

Warriors Should Not Meet This Asking Price

I've been a proponent of the Warriors making a trade for a star-level player by using future first-round draft capital, but this asking price is outrageous.

The Wizards acquired Davis for a 2026 first-round pick that ended up being the 30th pick, a 2030 first-round pick that is protected for the top 20 picks (will convey as a second-rounder if the pick lands in top 20), 2024 first-round pick AJ Johnson (No. 23 overall) and essentially salary filler.

Johnson has shown little in his first two seasons. You wouldn't be able to get a first-round pick back for him.

So as a best-case scenario, the Wizards will have gotten a pick in the 20s in 2030 and what was the 30th pick for Davis.

That best-case scenario is not even worth a top-10 pick, let alone multiple firsts and multiple first-round pick swaps.

What the Warriors should offer is Butler and a 2027 top-11-protected first-round pick. If the Dubs are certain James will come with this trade, I'd consider an additional protected first-round pick swap.

Having to give up anything more than that would be reckless.

Warriors Should Make a Real Offer for Murphy

It's looking increasingly like the Warriors will essentially run it back with the same team they had last season, but they still have one other avenue to dramatically improve.

And that's trading for Pelicans wing Trey Murphy III.

It might take three first-round picks to land the 26-year-old star, and that might seem like an outrageous price.

But there are reasons a Murphy trade would be better for the Warriors than a Davis trade.

First, he doesn't have anything close to the injury history of Davis.

Second, he's on a great contract (three years, $87 million).

Third, he's young enough (26) that his trade value should remain very high even a couple of years after you acquire him.

From a money-matching perspective, the Warriors would have to deal either Kristaps Porzingis or Jimmy Butler for him. The Butler trade would likely include having to take Dejounte Murray's bloated contract.

But that's a price you pay to get an in-prime wing with three-level-scoring ability.

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