The Washington Wizards have been one of the most interesting teams in the NBA this season, and it hasn't been because of what they've done on the court. Rather, their trades have made them the talk of the league.
Last month, Washington acquired Trae Young, a proven All-Star with significant questions about his offensive play style and defensive effort, from the Atlanta Hawks for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert. And then this week, the Wizards traded for Anthony Davis, the Dallas Mavericks' oft-injured big man, in a deal that sent multiple players, two first-round draft picks, and three second-round picks to Dallas.
The trades, because they both featured talented albeit flawed players, are being compared to each other, but ESPN NBA insider Brian Windhorst said there is one big difference.
“It’s absolutely not [the same trade],” Windhorst said on ‘The Hoop Collective' in response to Tim Bontemps. “We know that Trae Young has a contract [agreement with the Wizards]. I wouldn’t have done that. And we don’t know that about Anthony Davis. So if he gets a contract extension, then I’ll reevaluate.
“They didn’t agree to an extension on this trade. … I’m fairly certain they did not agree to an extension with him, whereas the Trae Young thing, they gave him the old winky-wink.”
While the two sides cannot officially sign a contract extension with the terms Young would likely desire until the offseason, Windhorst's assessment is likely correct in that Washington, when negotiating its trade for the guard, promised to sign him to a significant deal in the offseason. Young, who is in the fourth season of the five-year, $215 million contract he signed with the Hawks, has a $49 million player option he can exercise or decline in the summer.
As for Davis, who is five years older than Young, he is in the first season of a three-year, $175.4 million extension he signed back in 2023, when he was with the Los Angeles Lakers. Last February, the Mavericks acquired him in the infamous Luka Doncic trade, but he was limited to just 29 games due to injury, a common occurrence for Davis.
Davis can become an unrestricted free agent in 2027, although it is unclear if he, at 34 and with a significant injury history, would turn down a $62.8 million player option.
If Young and Davis are able to stay healthy and, importantly, at the same time, the Wizards could prove to be a formidable team in the Eastern Conference. Washington, which already has numerous young, promising players, could certainly benefit from the two-way ability of Davis, as well as the offensive playmaking for which Young became known.
The Wizards (13-36) are set to play the East's top team, the Detroit Pistons, tonight on the road.
