The Washington Wizards did something unthinkable at the Feb 5 deadline. They went ahead and traded for not one but two traded stars: Trae Young and Anthony Davis. However, this deal was interesting because both AD and Young have been dealing with injuries with no solid return deadline. Now this brings us to a major question that has been a concern for the league as well. That is, are the teams tanking?

According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst’s recent report, “there’s some irritation within the league” about tanking teams, which trade for injured players as a strategic move to prioritize long-term rebuilding over immediate results.

“The topic of these long-range non-competitive maneuvers was raised at a recent NBA competition committee meeting.” Windy also added. Any impactful policy update aimed at closing this route will fail to take effect during this year. As a result, intentional losing may become clearer and potentially spread across more franchises.

Consequently, this trend is driving deeper, league-wide debates about the sport’s ultimate direction. “You’ve heard of Icarus and what happens when you fly too close to the sun,” one team president told Windhorst. “I think some teams are in danger of flying too close to the ground.”

Interestingly enough, the Wizards weren’t the only teams that made some curious trade decisions. However, Anthony Davis and Trae Young did put the tanking issue in radar of the NBA higher-ups.

Now, the Brooklyn Nets executed a rare strategy this year by obtaining and deploying five first-round selections while consistently fielding the league’s youngest rotations. They lack authority over their own first-round selections for several upcoming drafts.

Therefore, the franchise remains heavily motivated to secure the highest possible selection and quickly vault back into contention. Furthermore, Brooklyn plans to leverage Michael Porter Jr. as a future trade asset while preparing to spend nearly $50 million in available salary space during the offseason.

Similarly, the Indiana Pacers aim for a rapid resurgence once star guard Tyrese Haliburton recovers from an Achilles rupture. They strengthened their blueprint by acquiring Ivica Zubac from the Los Angeles Clippers to anchor the roster. However, after appearing in 15-16 possible contests before the move, head coach Rick Carlisle confirmed Ivica Zubac will miss several upcoming games because of ankle soreness.

Meanwhile, several organizations could gain from brief competitive declines while managing unclear injury recoveries, including the Milwaukee Bucks with Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Dallas Mavericks with Kyrie Irving.

The Charlotte Hornets acquired Coby White, expecting immediate contributions, yet medical testing uncovered an undisclosed calf issue. As a result, Charlotte adjusted the agreement by removing a second round selection in the transaction with the Chicago Bulls.

Therefore, franchises such as the Utah Jazz, Indiana Pacers, and Washington Wizards acquired players while strategically limiting their availability. Now, this brings Adam Silver into the picture, as many believe that the Commissioner should intervene as soon as possible.

Antony Davis & Trae Young to D.C. puts tanking in the spotlight

The Washington Wizards GM, Will Dawkins, is anticipating Anthony Davis playing this season. Now, AD sustained a left hand ligament injury on January 8 against the Utah Jazz. The GM said that the plan for Davis now is that he will “go back to Dallas and finish his rehab.”

He added, “During All-Star break, he takes another visit for a doctor, and that’s a big appointment for us to kind of see where his progress is. After that, after All-Star break, he’ll return to D.C. and be here with the team.”

Now, the Washington Wizards attempted a roster overhaul after years of instability following John Wall’s career decline during the pandemic. On January 9, Washington secured former All-Star guard Trae Young from the Atlanta Hawks by trading salary-matching pieces CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert.

Later, the franchise executed a complex agreement with the Dallas Mavericks, acquiring Anthony Davis for two lower-valued first-round selections. Although Anthony Davis and Trae Young joined developing talents Alex Sarr, Bilal Coulibaly, and Kyshawn George, management ruled both veterans out for the season because of injury concerns and draft positioning strategy.

Furthermore, Washington faces severe draft consequences tied to the Russell Westbrook transaction, which transferred a conditional first-round selection to the New York Knicks with top-eight protection. If the Wizards avoid the bottom four standings, they risk losing that pick.

Recently, Washington used questionable rotations during games against the Sacramento Kings, New York Knicks, Detroit Pistons, and Brooklyn Nets. Against Detroit, the coaching staff benched Alex Sarr, Justin Champagnie, Bub Carrington, and Kyshawn George late. Meanwhile, finishing with Sharife Cooper, Bilal Coulibaly, Jamir Watkins, Will Riley, and Anthony Gill.

Later, minor injuries sidelined key players against Brooklyn, while extended minutes for Will Riley, Jamir Watkins, and undrafted Keshon Gilbert contributed to a 34-point deficit within 17 minutes. Thus raising eyebrows about the whole tanking situation. And maybe, this is where the NBA should intervene and implement strict rules.

So while no one knows when the injured stars Anthony Davis and Trae Young will return to the floor, the league faces greater scrutiny. Simply because teams that don’t find themselves in the competitive pool are simply using a different tactic: tanking. And that should be a concern for the higher-ups.