Anthony Davis sent to Washington before NBA Trade Deadline: a duo of giants with Alex Sarr

Less than 24 hours before the trade deadline, a stunner emerged. Anthony Davis is headed from the Dallas Mavericks to the Washington Wizards in a sprawling eight-player deal, according to ESPN and Marc Stein. The 10-time All-Star and two-time Olympic gold medalist is moving on just over a year after arriving in Dallas.

Dallas is receiving a 2026 Thunder first-round pick and a 2030 protected Warriors first-round pick in this deal from the Wizards along with second rounders in 2026 (Phoenix), 2027 (Chicago) and 2029 (Houston), sources tell ESPN. https://t.co/t5Qqtkl0Is

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 4, 2026

A complex trade that reshuffles the deck

Washington receives Anthony Davis, Jaden Hardy (6’2″, 23 years old), D’Angelo Russell (6’2″, 29 years old) and Dante Exum. In return, Dallas gets Khris Middleton (6’7″, 34 years old), AJ Johnson, Malaki Branham, Marvin Bagley III, as well as two first-round draft picks and three second-round draft picks.

The draft picks sent to the Mavericks include a 2026 pick originally held by Oklahoma City Thunder (expected between the 25th and 30th position), a protected 2030 first-round pick from the Golden State Warriors, and three second-round picks in 2026 (Phoenix), 2027 (Chicago) and 2029 (Houston).

Anthony Davis will have experienced a mixed stint in Dallas. Arriving on February 2, 2025 in exchange for Luka Doncicin the most spectacular trade of last season, « The Brow » was supposed to be the centerpiece of the Texas project alongside Kyrie Irving. But injuries disrupted his plans: Davis got injured in his very first game with the Mavericks, before Irving suffered a torn ACL.

This season, the former 2020 NBA champion with the Lakers has only played 20 games, still hampered by several injuries, and was averaging 20.4 points and 11.1 rebounds. Dallas has since fired Nico Harrison and rebuilt around rookie star Cooper Flagg (20.1 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game).

Washington bets on a young and ambitious core

For Washington, this trade is part of an aggressive strategy in the transfer market. After acquiring Trae Young in early January, the Wizards are adding a second All-Star to mentor their promising core composed of Canadian international Kyshawn George and the two Frenchmen Alexandre Sarrand Bilal Coulibaly.

Davis will have to coexist with Sarr in the Wizards’ paint, but we’ll likely have to wait to see this pairing on the court. Both the big man and Young are currently injured, and sitting second-to-last in the East (13 wins – 36 losses), Washington won’t have much interest in playing them immediately. The franchise will mainly try to keep its 2026 draft pick which will slip away if it’s not in the top eight of the draft.