The Washington Wizards may be the biggest winners of the NBA trade deadline after another bold blockbuster trade on Wednesday gives more reason to expect a huge bounce-back year next season.
The Wizards are sadly headed to a losing season for the eighth straight year. Yet, despite the misery that Washington, D.C. basketball fans continue to endure, a grand plan for a big turnaround is becoming clearer.
On Wednesday, to the surprise of many around the NBA, the Wizards pulled off a trade for future Hall of Famer Anthony Davis. In the deal, Washington is sending Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson, Malaki Branham, Marvin Bagley III, two future first-round picks, and three second-rounders to the Dallas Mavericks for Davis, Jaden Hardy, D’Angelo Russell, and Dante Exum, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Heading into Thursday’s NBA trade deadline, rumors suggested teams like the Atlanta Hawks and Toronto Raptors were the top contenders for a Davis trade. If it even happened at all, since the 10-time All-Star is out for the rest of the season with a hand injury.
The unexpected move comes just a couple of weeks after the Wizards completed another blockbuster trade for Hawks great Trae Young. In that deal, Washington gave up CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert, but no draft picks.
While the moves are not expected to get the 13-36 team into playoff contention this season, they do set up a huge turnaround in 2026-27.
Wizards setup for huge bounce-back season in 2026-27?
The Wizards have one of the worst records in the NBA for good reason. They don’t have a very good team. But competing for a playoff spot wasn’t a serious goal of 2025-26. Instead, the goal was to continue to develop the current and former first-round picks on the roster. And for the most part, they are giving reason for hope.
Youngsters Alex Sarr, Kyshawn George, and 2025 first-round Tre Johnson have shown they can be key parts of their core going forward. However, they are not ready to turn Washington into a playoff team in the near future. But that is where Trae Young and Anthony Davis come in.
If both can stay healthy, which is a big if in the case of Davis, those two men can turn Washington into immediate play-in contenders just through their sheer talent. The pair of multi-time All-Stars being the focus of the offense takes a lot of responsibility off of those aforementioned prospects and gives them the chance to flourish even more.
However, there is another key element in this potential turnaround. The Wizards did not give up their top pick in June in Wednesday’s deal, and instead sent out a pick they are owed from another team. Which is expected to be late in Round 1. That means Washington is still on course to get a top pick, if not the No. 1 selection, in a draft that many believe is one of the most talent-rich in years. Especially at the top.
You can bet the Wizards will continue to tank the rest of the season with the goal of a starting five next season featuring Young, Davis, Sarr, George, and potentially an elite prospect like Cameron Boozer or Darryn Peterson. That is why, when factoring in the long-term vision. Washington may be the biggest winner of the 2026 NBA trade deadline.
