According to ESPN's Shams Charania, the Dallas Mavericks are trading Anthony Davis (along with Jaden Hardy, D'Angelo Russell, and Dante Exum) to the Washington Wizards for Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson, Malaki Branham, Marvin Bagley III, two first-round picks, and three second-round picks.
As it stands, the Wizards are 13-36 and are just one game ahead of the Indiana Pacers in the standings. By making this trade, their short-term outlook should immediately improve (if Davis returns from his hand injury this season), which should bode well for Indiana's chances of landing the first overall pick in this year's draft.
Pacers' draft lottery outlook just got a whole lot better
Just ahead of this year's All-Star break, the Pacers own a 13-38 record. They are currently the worst team in the East and own the third-worst record in the entire league. But it's close. And it should be way too close for their comfort.
The Wizards and Brooklyn Nets are both just one game ahead of them in the East, and they are just three games behind the Utah Jazz, who currently own the sixth-worst record in the league. (Though their recent trade for Jaren Jackson Jr. could change things sooner than later).
All things considered, the Pacers have been way worse than anybody anticipated they would be, even under the circumstances of Myles Turner's departure and Tyrese Haliburton's injury. Everybody knew they would take a step back, but nobody expected them to have a legitimate chance at finishing the season with the worst record in the league.
A lot of that has to do with the injuries they've dealt with all season. Even beyond Haliburton, the Pacers have been without numerous key players for extended periods of time (Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Obi Toppin, Bennedict Mathurin, and T.J. McConnell, for starters).
Regardless of how they got to this point, the Pacers have a unique opportunity to reshape their roster. And it all starts with this year's draft.
If there was ever one year for Indiana to take a gap year and be among the worst teams in the league, it's this one. The 2026 draft is expected to be a loaded one. Darryn Peterson, Cam Boozer, AJ Dybantsa, and Caleb Wilson all have the potential to be franchise players in the NBA. And the Pacers should be thrilled if they can land any one of them.
In order to maximize their chances of securing a top pick in this year's draft, though, the Pacers need to stay near the bottom of the standings. And by acquiring Davis, the Wizards may have just helped them out in a big way.