The Anthony Davis era in Dallas is, mercifully, over after 29 games spread across 12 months. They slid in 24 hours ahead of the trade deadline with a head-scratching deal to send him to the Washington Wizards for filler and shaky draft picks. They may have solved one problem, but they have plenty more staring them in the face.
For the Wizards, this is another bizarre move, following their acquisition of Trae Young back in January. They have some young talent but also two injury-prone stars with no real track record of success as foundational building blocks. Maybe this is the precursor to some other additional moves before the deadline. If not, I have nothing but empathy for poor Wizards fans.
It's tough to fit all the details into one graphic, but the Mavericks are also receiving AJ Johnson. The picks they're getting from the Wizards are two first-round picks and three second-rounders. Here's how I see the return for each squad.
Mavericks trade grade: D-
The Mavericks did well to get some draft compensation for Davis, but we're just over a year removed from them trading Dončić for Davis, and we simply can't separate the deals. Basically, this trade turns the Dončić return into Max Christie, Khris Middleton, Malaki Branham, Marvin Bagley, AJ Johnson, three first-round picks and three second-round picks.
The first-round picks they've collected are the Thunder's 2026 pick (almost guaranteed to land at No. 30), the Lakers 2029 pick (unprotected) and the Warriors 2030 pick (protected 1-20). That is just unfathomably, catastrophically bad. They gave themselves some financial flexibility for this summer with the expiring contracts of Middleton and Branham but that's a terribly weak silver lining.
The Mavericks traded Luka Dončiċ for pennies on the dollar and then traded the shiniest of those pennies for a heavily played Ducklett.
Wizards trade grade: F
There's no reason to spend assets trading for Trae Young and Anthony Davis if you're not planning on building around them. That means signing Young to a big extension and going into next season with him and Davis as the offensive and defensive centerpieces.
I literally can't think of a worse idea.
Davis is 32 years old and has played 60+ games just twice in the seven years since he was traded away from New Orleans. He is good when he is on the court. There is no reason to think he will be on the court enough to matter for the Wizards. Trae Young puts up big offensive numbers but is perhaps the most ball-dominant player in the league, which means having to live with his inefficiency. He is also one of the worst defenders in the league and has a long, well-demonstrated track record of lowering his team's ceiling at both ends.
Davis and Young are not a winning combination. They're also not a pairing that seems like it will help the growth and skill development of the rest of the young players on this roster. To be fair, the Wizards are one of the worst teams in the league right now, and they might be better next year. But the current roster is nowhere close to playoff caliber, even if Young and Davis are mostly healthy. These trades together are a huge waste of resources for marginal gain.