Getty
Alex Sarr #20 of the Washington Wizards welcomes new teammate Anthony Davis at the NBA trade deadline.
Of all the breaking news that has come down over the past two days as the NBA trade deadline nears, the trade that sent Anthony Davis from the Mavericks to the Wizards was among the most shocking. Sure, the Clippers’ James Harden deal to Cleveland was a surprise but Washington–the Wizards!–taking a gamble on Davis after already bringing in Trae Young was one that no one saw coming.
From Shams Charania of ESPN: “The Dallas Mavericks are trading 10-time NBA All-StarAnthony 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.”
The Mavericks were willing to part with Davis despite him being the featured piece in the deal from the Lakers for Luka Doncic a year ago, and the return package is mostly filler except the two first-round picks from Washington. It’s not a surprise that Davis was traded–it’s the when and where that is raising eyebrows across the NBA.
NBA Trade Deadline: Anthony Davis a Shocker
The presumption was that most teams would hold off on making a Davis deal until he is healthy (he’s dealing with a hand injury), and that he’d go to a contender that would get Davis to sign an extension. But the Wizards are not most teams.
They’ve been tiring of the nonstop rebuild mode they’ve been in, and wanted to kickstar out of it. They’re envisioning a big frontcourt of Anthony Davis, Alexandre Sarr and Bilal Coulibaly, in what would be a long, defensive-minded group to go with the already acquired Young as the offensive engine in the backcourt.
It’s a nice vision. But one Eastern Conference assistant coach is not so sure.
“You’ll have those guys (Davis and Young) healthy at the same time for what, 20 or 25 games a year? I don’t see it,” the coach said.
Indeed, Davis has played 29 games in the past two years for the Mavs, and has missed at least 20 games in seven of the past eight seasons. That’s the problem with what the Wizards have done here. They have short-circuited their rebuild around a soon-to-be 33-year-old who can’t stay healthy (Davis) and an undersize point guard (Young) whose previous team was eager to dump him.
Cavaliers Made a James Harden Promise?
What went on with the Cavaliers‘ decision to pull the trigger on the James Harden trade, which sent out Darius Garland? It is a big gamble for the Cavs to bring in a ball-dominant guard in Harden, but the Cavaliers like his size and are willing to bet he can mesh with Mitchell as a distributor.
The Cavaliers would like to make another move before the NBA trade deadline, but there is some question whether they would let center Jarrett Allen flip into trade bait. A player likes Harden (as well as Mitchell) needs a big-man lob-threat, and Allen is ideal in that role.
Still, Cleveland is hoping that it can change up its dynamics enough to warrant Mitchell signing back on an extension with the team–him bolting has been one of the team’s fears next summer. In doing so, the Cavs surely bent the knee to Harden, who waived his trade kicker to make the deal happen.
Harden’s contract has a $42 million player option next year but only a small part (about $13.3 million) is guaranteed. “You can’t do it officially, but the Cavs must have made promises to him to get him to accept the trade,” one NBA executive said. “They probably agreed to pick up the option without cutting him.”
James Harden
GettyJames Harden will join the Cavaliers after a blockbuster trade.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, King of the NBA Trade Deadline
The latest on Giannis Antetokounmpo is that it remains unlikely the Bucks star is dealt by the time the February 5 NBA trade deadline comes to a close. The Minnesota Timberwolves have not been able to up their ante with draft picks and could be just about ready to bow out. The Warriors remain in limbo as it is unclear if Giannis wants to play in the Bay, where the team is a bit older than he’d like.
The Miami Heat have an offer on the table, built around Tyler Herro and Kel’el Ware, but the Heat have been pulling an interesting move–they’re signaling that they’re in the mix for Ja Morant amid the Grizzlies’ tear-down.
The Heat would have interest in Morant if it meant not giving up draft picks, but there is also speculation that the Heat are advertising the Morant possibility as a way to put pressure on Antetokounmpo and the Heat to step up and make a deal.
Jonathan Kuminga Still on the Block for Warriors
No deal has come to fruition yet for the Warriors, but the Jonathan Kuminga NBA trade deadline search is still on. Yes, the Dubs could just keep him. But they do not wan to.
“Absolutely, they’re still listening on him and there’s still a market for him,” one Eastern Conference executive said. “They’re poised for it. There have been teams who have kicked the tires. But this could be something that just finally comes together (on Thursday) because it is not the priority today or last week. But you get to the last few hours before the deadline, and there’s nothing else happening for you, all the sudden, Jonathan Kuminga is now your priority.”
Two things to monitor: The Thunder traded for Jared McCain from the Sixers, sparking speculation that another bigger deal could land in OKC. And the Pelicans are not yet relenting on their prohibitive asking prices for Trey Murphy and Herb Jones.