Wizards New Star Considered Among NBA's Most Overrated

Those who haven't yet examined the fine print of the trade details and spotted the Wizards' business-oriented goal of rehabilitating Davis' asset value may not understand their goal, but they have the luxury to give the star the necessary time to heal before handing him the ball to start next fall. He, Trae Young and the rest of Washington's prospects will then get a chance to highlight each of their names as among the more respected in the league.

Leveraging their Washington-Based Opportunity

For now, Davis' stock is at an all-time valley. He, along with fellow trade chip D'Angelo Russell and a few other former Wizards in Kyle Kuzma and Kristaps Porziņģis, was listed among Bleacher Report's list of the NBA's most overrated players, earning a spot as high as no. 2 between his short-term salary and reliability.

"The days of racking up 25 points, 12 rebounds and two or three blocks without breaking a sweat are over, as Davis will turn 33 in March and put up just 20.4 points, 11.1 rebounds and 1.7 blocks with the Dallas Mavericks this season," Greg Swartz wrote. "This was Davis' lowest scoring average since his rookie year in 2012-13."

"Defensively, Davis is still one of the better rim protectors in the league despite his reluctance to play center. His poor outside shooting (27.0 percent from three this season, 29.5 percent for his career) is going to force teams to put floor-spacers next to him for the rest of his career."

As Swartz correctly identifies, Davis' current stint on the IR is something to get used to. Outside of the 2023-24 season, a stint in which Davis stuck his head out long enough to play a career-high 76 games, he's yet to play 57 or more in any year since 2020. He only saw 29 outings with the Mavericks between the back half of last season and the last few months, and his shooting touch has shown few signs of resuscitation in the years since his iconic run through the bubble and to championship glory.

While he'll undoubtedly chew up a good portion of the Wizards' cap space in the near-future, his deal will be set to expire by this time next year. Then, the ball will be in the organization's court in determining whether to extend or reroute the star big, while his gifts as a strong interior scorer and rim-protector should provide him with ample opportunities to look like a franchise guy in D.C. That's all hypothetical for the time being, but everyone involved is set up to capitalize on their plan.