The Washington Wizards let a golden opportunity to trade Anthony Davis pass by when LeBron James joined the Philadelphia 76ers. King James chose the team that made the splashy trade. He wanted to reunite with AD, and the Golden State Warriors tried to engage Washington in trade talks. The Wizards set a massive asking price and let the chance to maximize his value get away.
Washington values Davis, and there is no questioning that. They bought low at the deadline because the Mavericks didn’t want to extend AD. The Wizards were asking for multiple first-round picks and swaps to move on before Davis has even played a game in the nation's capital. General manager Will Dawkins is a massive fan and wants to keep the future Hall of Famer in Washington.
The 33-year-old is extension-eligible on Aug. 6 and wants a max deal. Washington just turned down trade interest and has to lock in the ten-time All-Star long-term. If AD is under contract into his late 30s at a massive number, teams won’t give up nearly as much for him in a trade. This was Washington’s chance to maximize his value, but it is gone.
Wizards wasted golden opportunity to trade Anthony Davis
Golden State or whichever contender traded for AD wasn’t just getting the 6’10 big man. They were doing it to land LeBron James at an incredible discount in free agency. Just like the infamous Paul George trade, where Sam Presti and the Oklahoma City Thunder extracted arguably the greatest return in NBA history from the LA Clippers, teams would have overpaid for Davis if it meant getting the GOAT.
Washington asked for too much because they really didn’t want to move on. There are already on-court issues, but Davis is still a superstar when healthy. Not many players can average over 20 points, grab 11 rebounds, and block over two shots every night. AD is a two-way force that no team wants to face.
Injuries are an issue. Davis has played over 70 games just three times in 14 NBA seasons. He averages just 57.6 contests per year and has appeared in 71 over the last two campaigns combined. The Wizards plan to play him more at the four, which hopefully keeps him healthier.
This was Washington’s chance to clean their hands from AD. They gave up four players that weren’t part of the Wizards' future, two first-round picks, and three second-rounders to land Davis and three other players. The firsts were not what they seemed. Dallas got the 30th pick in the 2026 NBA draft and a top-20 protected selection in 2030. That isn’t much for one of the 75th best players of all-time.
Not cashing in on Anthony Davis was a mistake by Michael Winger and the front office. They had a chance to maximize his value by tying him to LeBron James. The Warriors would have certainly given the Washington Wizards significantly more than they paid to acquire him.
Instead, the franchise is betting on Davis and Trae Young to pull them out of a rebuild and back into contention. They haven’t made the playoffs since 2021 and haven’t won a playoff series since 2017. This is a massive gamble, and Wizards fans may regret not selling him on AD when they had the chance, especially if his injury problems continue.
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