Washington Wizards trade Anthony Davis in eight-player deal to end Dallas Mavericks’ failed Luka Doncic experiment; watch the renewed NBA All-Star games on February 15, live on Sky Sports
Last updated: 26/04/2020 21:46
The Wizards agree to an eight-player trade with the Mavericks that sees Anthony Davis move to Washington
The Washington Wizards are acquiring Anthony Davis from the Dallas Mavericks in an eight-player trade that also sends multiple draft picks to Dallas, according to a person close to the deal.
The move signals the Mavericks’ decision to move on from the widely criticized trade that sent Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for a Davis-led package last year.
That deal, engineered in the middle of the night by former general manager Nico Harrison, enraged fans and has hung over the franchise ever since.
Speculation about Davis’ future intensified after Harrison was fired in November after a poor start to the season.
Davis, a 10-time All-Star, played in just 31 of a possible 84 games over two partial seasons in Dallas, battling a series of injuries, including a core muscle problem, a calf strain and, most recently, a left hand injury he suffered while defending Utah’s Lauri Markkanen on Jan. 8.
Washington will send Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson, Malachi Branham and Marvin Bagley III to Dallas, along with two first-round picks and three second-round picks. In return, the Wizards will receive guards Jaden Hardy, D’Angelo Russell and Dante Exum.
Davis was brought to Dallas to fill the void left by Luka Doncic, but was hampered by injuries
The deal marks a dramatic turnaround for Washington, which has spent the past two seasons deep in a rebuild, losing 67 and 64 games.
After trading Trea Young last month, the Wizards now add Davis to a young core that includes 2024 No. 2 Alex Sara.
It remains unclear how much play Young or Davis will play this season, and that may suit Washington’s interests; The Wizards lose their top draft pick if he falls outside the top eight.
Still, the acquisition of Davis suggests the franchise is ready to move on from waiting for lottery luck. A future lineup built around Young, Davis, Sarr and complementary pieces could be competitive in the Eastern Conference, though Davis’ durability remains a concern.
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Dallas Mavericks’ Cooper Flagg broke a 46-year-old NBA record by becoming the first teenager to score 49 points in an NBA game against the Charlotte Hornets.
For Dallas, the trade represents a reset and commitment to rookie sensation Cooper Flagg as the new face of the franchise. The No. 1 pick recently set an NBA record for a teenager with 49 points against Charlotte and three straight 30-point games.
Despite his appearance, the Mavericks have lost five straight and sit in 12th place in the West at 19-31.
With Kyrie Irving unlikely to return this season after tearing his ACL last March, Dallas is on track to miss the playoffs for the second straight year.
Harrison’s gamble that Davis and Irving could be long-term contenders never materialized; the pair shared the court just once before injuries derailed the experiment.
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