When the Washington Wizards acquired Trae Young mid-way through the season, it wasn’t certain if that would be the final move they’d make before the deadline closed on Thursday afternoon. But that wouldn’t be the case, as the Wizards ended up acquiring Anthony Davis, among other players from the Dallas Mavericks, in exchange for a package consisting of Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson, Malaki Branham, Marvin Bagley III, two first-round draft picks, and three second-rounders.
The move would come after months of trade speculation surrounding the former NBA champion, given that the Mavericks appeared to be taking their team into a different direction than where they were headed when Davis was obtained last season.
The move came during a rough season for the ten-time All-Star, who has battled injuries throughout the campaign and has appeared in only 20 games, averaging 20.4 points and 11.1 rebounds. His most recent injury stint started back in early January, when Davis suffered from ligament damage in his left hand, and he has missed out on 13 games to date as a result.
But, according to a recent report, that number is expected to grow. As reported by NBA insider Chris Haynes, Davis is expected to miss the remainder of the season due to hand and groin issues as he focuses on getting back to action for next season.
This is certain to be a blow to the Wizards’ hopes of integrating the former champion into their system, as well as the aforementioned Young, with the two having the potential to form quite the partnership, but it will have to wait until next season, if Haynes is to be correct.
Given where Washington sits in the Eastern Conference, the 13th seed, with a record of 14-36, their odds of landing a potentially good draft pick look bright, which is just what they could be looking for as they continue to add to their young core.
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