Wizards Deal Final Blow to Mavericks Iconic Lopsided Trade

Last year's Luka Doncic trade instantly made for one of the most infamous "Where were you when..." moments among 21st century sports fans. In the dead of night, one of the faces of basketball was traded without his knowing to partner up with LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers, instantly turning the already-chaos-prone NBA on its head.

The announcement was such a big deal that the centerpiece of Doncic's trade return went almost unmentioned. And Anthony Davis, one of the 75 greatest players in the history of this league, is certainly worthy of a mention.

Now, almost exactly a year later, Davis is getting rerouted to the Washington Wizards in another trade deadline stunner. What happened?

BREAKING: The Dallas Mavericks are trading 10-time NBA All-Star Anthony Davis, Jaden Hardy, D'Angelo Russell and Dante Exum to the Washington Wizards for Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson, Malaki Branham, Marvin Bagley III, 2 first-round picks and 3 second-rounders, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/sfrQQubI5i
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 4, 2026

Fitting in Elsewhere

Davis' Dallas tenure was, through no fault of his own a flop. He never asked to be compared to Doncic, an all-time beloved Maverick, but his shadow loomed large over the forward's never-ending slew of injuries and the lottery team that he left behind. After just 29 games played with the squad, including just 20 during the 2025-26 season, he's onto the fourth team of his Hall of Fame-worthy career.

The Wizards may be a laughingstock due to their insistence on tanking year-in and year-out, continually hoping for a little bit of luck in each annual draft lottery, but they've been the stars of this ongoing trade season. After acquiring Trae Young just last month, consider Davis as another indicator that they may be ready to be taken seriously quicker than many of the outside voices are anticipating.

Washington Wizards Guard Trae Young — Jan 9, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Newly acquired Washington Wizards guard Trae Young (R) speaks at an introductory press conference as Wizards general manager Will Dawkins (L) listens prior to the Wizards' game against the New Orleans Pelicans at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

He'll likely spend the majority of the remainder of this season alongside Young on Washington's bench, waiting for their next real crack at playing meaningful basketball in the fall. The Wizards may have lacked the luck to land Cooper Flagg out of the most recent draft cycle, but they got Flagg's win-now veteran without surrendering a single member of their intriguing young core.

Releasing the Baggage

Davis, like Young, will soon be playing on expired money. He's set to earn an average of $56 million over this season and the next, as well as a near-$63 million player option should he opt out of another extension opportunity.

While the Wizards receive another accelerate to their calculated push back into contending talks, as well as a fresh start for their newest All-Star, the Mavericks had to settle for a package defined by lower-leverage picks and fringe pieces. Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson, Marvin Bagley III and Malaki Branham each enjoyed nice moments during their short runs as Wizards, but none of those guys ever featured as long-term options along the rebuild.

Dallas never should have shipped Doncic for what they got back, famously pulling the trigger on the move before opening the bidding to everyone else around the league. Middleton and his young friends will now stand where he stood, with the Wizards having informed everyone else that there was no saving the Mavericks from the continual fallout of legendary trade.

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