Wizards Deal Final Blow to Mavericks Iconic Lopsided Trade

Fitting in Elsewhere

Davis' Dallas tenure was, through no fault of his own a flop. He never asked to be compared to Doncic, an all-time beloved Maverick, but his shadow loomed large over the forward's never-ending slew of injuries and the lottery team that he left behind. After just 29 games played with the squad, including just 20 during the 2025-26 season, he's onto the fourth team of his Hall of Fame-worthy career.

The Wizards may be a laughingstock due to their insistence on tanking year-in and year-out, continually hoping for a little bit of luck in each annual draft lottery, but they've been the stars of this ongoing trade season. After acquiring Trae Young just last month, consider Davis as another indicator that they may be ready to be taken seriously quicker than many of the outside voices are anticipating.

He'll likely spend the majority of the remainder of this season alongside Young on Washington's bench, waiting for their next real crack at playing meaningful basketball in the fall. The Wizards may have lacked the luck to land Cooper Flagg out of the most recent draft cycle, but they got Flagg's win-now veteran without surrendering a single member of their intriguing young core.

Releasing the Baggage

Davis, like Young, will soon be playing on expired money. He's set to earn an average of $56 million over this season and the next, as well as a near-$63 million player option should he opt out of another extension opportunity.

While the Wizards receive another accelerate to their calculated push back into contending talks, as well as a fresh start for their newest All-Star, the Mavericks had to settle for a package defined by lower-leverage picks and fringe pieces. Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson, Marvin Bagley III and Malaki Branham each enjoyed nice moments during their short runs as Wizards, but none of those guys ever featured as long-term options along the rebuild.

Dallas never should have shipped Doncic for what they got back, famously pulling the trigger on the move before opening the bidding to everyone else around the league. Middleton and his young friends will now stand where he stood, with the Wizards having informed everyone else that there was no saving the Mavericks from the continual fallout of legendary trade.