The Washington Wizards didn’t just beat the Charlotte Hornets 95-79 in their NBA Cup opener on Friday night. They got another reminder that the Anthony Davis trade may have been a bargain.
Davis powered Washington with 25 points in a double-double, and the early returns keep looking better for the Wizards. He’s now through six games in Washington without missing one, and the production has been loud: 22.3 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.0 block in 33.3 minutes a night. That’s the kind of line that makes a front office look very smart very quickly.
And the price tag? It wasn’t nearly as steep as a superstar name would normally suggest.
Washington sent out two first-round picks and three second-rounders, but the fine print matters. The 2026 first-round pick was No. 30 overall, and the 2030 first from Golden State is top-20 protected.
If it lands in the top 20, the team holding it gets a 2030 second-rounder instead.
For the Wizards, it was a chance to strike while Dallas was willing to sell low after acquiring Davis as the headline piece in the Luka Doncic trade. The Mavericks wanted out of that situation and to pivot toward building around Cooper Flagg, and Washington took advantage of the opportunity.
That matters because the Wizards don’t usually land players like this. Davis is their best player since John Wall, and when he’s healthy, he’s still playing at an All-NBA level. He made the NBA’s 75th Anniversary team and is headed for the Hall of Fame.
The rest of the deal also keeps showing value. Washington flipped Jaden Hardy and two second-round picks to bring in Deandre Ayton, and the former No. 1 pick has settled in as a strong backup big man. Russell also came back to the nation’s capital in a six-team trade in the 2026 offseason for Khris Middleton.
Dallas, meanwhile, turned the 30th pick into Sergio de Larrea at No. 25, paying two more second-rounders to move up. The Mavericks also took Tobi Lawal with the 48th pick using another selection tied to the Davis deal. That still doesn’t add up to the kind of return you’d expect for a player of Davis’ caliber.
The on-court fit has been strong, too, even if Davis is playing plenty of power forward for Washington. That’s not his ideal spot, but he’s still rolling. He’s averaging 22.3 points per game despite shooting below his career 52.2 field goal percentage, and he’s hitting one 3-pointer per game for the first time since 2020.
Just as important, Davis has lifted the Wizards on defense. He’s still a game-changer on that end, and Washington needed it.
The Wizards were last in defensive rating a season ago, but they’re 7.3 points per 100 possessions better defensively entering Friday’s win over Charlotte. Against the Hornets, they held the line and gave up only 79 points.
What stands out most is how many ways Davis is helping. He can score inside, draw fouls, and punish defenders from the mid-range.
He can protect the rim, rebound, and handle multiple positions defensively. That kind of player changes the direction of a franchise, which is why the next step matters so much.
Davis is in the final guaranteed year of his contract, with a $62.7 million player option for 2027-28. Washington can’t afford to let this drift into the offseason without a new deal. They don’t want to lose him for nothing.
There’s risk here, no doubt. Davis is 33 and has a long injury history.
But the Wizards don’t get players like this often, and right now he’s healthy, engaged, and helping them win. That makes the extension decision hard to avoid.
After six games, Washington is 3-3 for the first time since 2023, and the optimism is building. If Davis stays long-term and helps push this team forward, the trade may end up looking even more lopsided in the Wizards’ favor. For now, the early verdict is simple: Washington bought low, and Anthony Davis is delivering like a star.
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AJ Dybantsa Just Gave The Wizards A New Early Season Question
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What makes his early impact especially interesting is how it fits into the broader shape of this roster. Brian Keefe has already pointed out the teams low volume of three-point attempts compared with opponents, and Washington has leaned into what it does best by finishing at the rim and getting to the line. Dybantsas presence only sharpens the question of how much more dangerous the Wizards can become if that interior pressure keeps building. [Read more 🡒]
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The timing makes the problem even harder to ignore with Justin Champagnie out after a foot fracture, leaving Washington with fewer answers in the rotation and less margin for error inside. The Wizards have shown they can get a spark from young talent, but until they find a way to rebound and hold up defensively against bigger scoring nights from opponents, the early momentum around Dybantsa will only tell part of the story. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets Face An Early Test As Wizards Hype Starts Building
AJ Dybantsa is set to make his home debut for the Wizards in an NBA Cup Group Play matchup with the Hornets, giving Washington another chance to put its early-season buzz in front of its own crowd. Dybantsa already gave a glimpse of what he can bring when he returned from a left ankle sprain and immediately looked like a player ready to matter in the rotation.
The timing adds a little extra intrigue for a Wizards team trying to build momentum while Charlotte arrives with its own early-season questions. The matchup also has the feel of a game where points may be at a premium, with both teams having leaned toward lower-scoring outings so far and the Cup setting only sharpening the stakes. [Read more 🡒]