The Washington Wizards’ deal for Anthony Davis looked solid when they made it at the deadline. Now, with the center market spiking around the league, it looks even better.
A fresh reminder came with the Clippers being forced to forfeit a 2029 first-round draft pick from the Pacers in the Kawhi Leonard salary cap circumvention case. Indiana had already sent out the fifth pick in 2026 to land Ivica Zubac, and the price tag doesn’t stop there - they also still owe a second-rounder in 2028, plus that 2029 selection they can’t get back if the trade turns ugly. For a starting center who has never been a star, that is a steep bill.
And it’s not just the Zubac move that makes Washington’s pickup stand out.
The Wizards sent out four players, two first-round picks, and three second-rounders to get Davis. On paper, that sounds like a major investment.
In reality, the details soften it quite a bit. Washington gave up the 30th and 48th picks in the 2026 draft, and the Warriors’ first-rounder in 2030 is top-20 protected.
If things break the way Dallas hopes, the Mavericks are likely to end up with three more second-round picks and a partial season from four players they didn’t want.
Around the league, the price of big men has only climbed since the 2025 offseason. The Lakers sent out two unprotected first-round picks and two first-round swaps to get Walker Kessler, then handed him a $130 million contract.
The Suns paid two firsts for Mark Williams. Utah gave up three firsts to bring in Jaren Jackson Jr. from the Grizzlies.
Davis is the best player in that group, and he came in at what looks like the lowest cost.
That’s what makes the Wizards’ position so interesting. Davis still hasn’t played a game for Washington.
He ended last season with a season-ending injury in Dallas, though he’s healthy now. The contract situation is already hanging over everything, too, because the two sides passed on extending him.
He can become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2027, but Washington clearly believes there’s a future here since it refused to move him. The whole thing comes down to finding the right long-term pact.
Even without that extension, the upside is obvious. Washington got one of the NBA’s best two-way big men for two late first-round picks and three second-rounders in the best-case scenario for Dallas.
That’s a hard bargain to beat, especially when you stack it against what other teams have paid. The Pacers gave up the fifth overall pick and an unprotected first for Zubac.
The Lakers’ move for Kessler could become a serious problem, especially under the new lottery system. Utah paid up for JJJ while trying to contend.
And even Mark Williams brought Charlotte two firsts despite being a fringe starting center.
Davis still produces at an elite level when he’s on the floor. Last season, he averaged 20.4 points, 11.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.7 blocks in 31.3 minutes per game.
He’s 33 and has a long injury history, but that’s still not the kind of player teams usually get for two late firsts and a couple of seconds. Even the 76ers paid significantly more for Jaylen Brown in a return that was questioned by many.
For Washington, the setup is simple. Not extending Davis puts the pressure on him to deliver.
He wants another huge contract and knows this could be his final long-term max deal as he moves toward his mid-30s. He’s set to make $58.4 million this season and has a $62.7 million player option for 2027-28.
If he wants the big payday, he has to stay healthy and show he’s still a superstar right away.
The Wizards can afford to be patient. If Davis plays well, they can extend him or trade him for more than they gave up.
If the fit goes sideways, they’ll have a massive expiring deal on the books next summer, or they can simply move on. Either way, Washington has given itself options.
For now, the verdict keeps tilting in the Wizards’ favor. They bought low on one of the most talented big men in basketball, and the rest of the league keeps proving just how hard that is to do.
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Wizards Season Simulation Ends With One Huge Question About Their Future
A simulated Wizards season in NBA2K turned into a strangely plausible reminder of how thin the margin can be for this roster. Russell Westbrook even made a brief return from retirement before getting waived, and Washington spent the year grinding through the kind of uneven campaign that can leave a team hovering around the edge of relevance without ever quite breaking through.
The bigger hook was what came next, because the simulation handed the Wizards a major draft opportunity and a chance to reshape the future around a new young piece. Still, for all the roster churn and video-game what-ifs, the central question remains the same one Washington keeps circling in real life: how much of this core is actually built to move the franchise forward? [Read more 🡒]