Anthony Davis headlines 8-player trade that sends him to Washington Wizards

A little over a year after he was shipped to the Dallas Mavericks as part of the blockbuster trade that sent Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers, Anthony Davis is once again being moved.

According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Mavericks are including Davis in an eight-player deal that will send the former Kentucky star to the Washington Wizards. The Toronto Raptors and Atlanta Hawks had also been linked to Davis ahead of Thursday’s NBA trade deadline, but the new-look Wizards were able to swoop in and land the 10-time All-Star by Wednesday afternoon.

Below are the full trade details.

Dallas receives:

• Khris Middleton
• AJ Johnson
• Malaki Branham
• Marvin Bagley III
• 2 first-round picks
• 3 second-round picks

Washington receives:

• Anthony Davis
• Jaden Hardy
• D’Angelo Russell
• Dante Exum

The Wizards also recently traded for former Hawks point guard Trae Young, a four-time All-Star who is still only 27. Young and Davis round out a Washington core that is filled with young talent such as Tre Johnson, Alex Sarr, and Kyshawn George. The Wizards have not made the playoffs since the 2020-21 season.

BREAKING: The Dallas Mavericks are trading 10-time NBA All-Star Anthony Davis, Jaden Hardy, D'Angelo Russell and Dante Exum to the Washington Wizards for Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson, Malaki Branham, Marvin Bagley III, 2 first-round picks and 3 second-rounders, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/sfrQQubI5i

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 4, 2026

After an all-time great one-and-done season at Kentucky that saw Davis win a full trophy case of college awards, the 6-foot-11 big man went on to be the number one pick in the 2012 NBA Draft by the New Orleans Pelicans (known as the Hornets at the time). He finished second in Rookie of the Year voting before making 10 All-Star Teams, five All-NBA teams, and five All-Defensive Teams across his time with the Pelicans, Lakers, and Mavericks.

Davis, who turns 33 next month, is also a three-time block champion, was named to the NBA’s 75th anniversary team, and helped the Lakers win the NBA Finals during the 2019-20 season. Injuries have hindered his on-court production over the last few years, but he’s still one of the best players in the world when healthy. Davis had only appeared in 20 games this season for Dallas prior to the trade, averaging 20.4 points and 11.1 rebounds per outing on 50.6 percent overall shooting.

Washington won a combined 33 games during the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons. They’re currently 13-36 this season with Young sidelined due to injury. Davis is also currently injured and is not expected to be re-evaluated until sometime after the All-Star break. But there is at least something interesting brewing within the Wizards organization for the first time in a while.