ANTHONY DAVIS DEALT TO D.C.!

In a three-team trade, the Washington Wizards acquired forward/center Anthony Davis and guards Jaden Hardy, D'Angelo Russell and Dante Exum from the Dallas Mavericks; Dallas acquired forward Khris Middleton, guard AJ Johnson, center Marvin Bagley III, a first-round draft pick in 2026, a first-round draft pick in 2030 and three future second-round draft picks from the Wizards, and guard Tyus Jones from the Charlotte Hornets; and Charlotte acquired guard/forward Malaki Branham from the Wizards.

What does it give the Washington Wizards
Wow! Washington continues to make splashes in the trade market despite their also-ran status this season. After acquiring star point guard Trae Young earlier in 2025-26, now they land Davis. When healthy, the duo could be dominant. Keeping both healthy will be a challenge, though. Hardy should also contribute to the Wizards, while Russell and Exum are likely thrown in to make the money work.

What does it give the Dallas Mavericks
A year after trading Luka Doncic in order to acquire Davis, the Mavericks decided to pivot off the latter big man for a package of mostly future assets. Middleton, Johnson, Jones and Bagley III could contribute to the Mavs right away but the draft picks are what appealed to Dallas here. The Mavs are unlikely to make the playoffs in '25-26, especially without Davis. Therefore, Dallas is clearly going into a rebuild.

What does it give the Charlotte Hornets
The Hornets were added to this huge trade in order to make the money work. They acquired Jones from Orlando a day before the trade deadline but were never expected to retain him beyond the deadline. So, they moved him to the Mavericks in a deal that sent Branham back to Charlotte via Washington. Branham, a little-used swingman, is not expected to remain with the Hornets.

Fantasy impact
Davis continues to battle injury as his prime NBA years start to decay. Next season, Davis might be a force in Washington but he may not be much of a factor this season. As for the rest of the players involved in this transaction, none have enough fantasy value to be worthwhile additions in most league formats. Some may not play at all, while others are unlikely to play enough to make an impact.