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Mar 8, 2026; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Washington Wizards forward Anthony Davis (23) watches during the first half against the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images
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Mar 8, 2026; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Washington Wizards forward Anthony Davis (23) watches during the first half against the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images
Anthony Davis expected to be traded—but even he wasn’t prepared for where he landed. When the Dallas Mavericks sent him to the Washington Wizards ahead of the February 5 deadline, the move itself wasn’t shocking. The destination was. Speaking on The Draymond Green Show with Draymond Green, Davis opened up about his honest first reaction.
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“From the outside looking in, Dray, people don’t understand; I didn’t understand. I was one of these guys, too. I was like, damn, Washington, like what?” Davis said. The franchise hasn’t been close to the title for the last five decades since their 1978 championship-winning season.
In fact, the team has a record of 136-293 and a 31.7 win percentage in the last five years. Therefore, for most players seeking the title, the Washington Wizards is one such team that’s never going to be on their list. But, according to Anthony Davis, the current team is different.
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“When you get here, you look at the facility, you look at the little details of it, the team, it’s not bad. I like the young guys. These motherf—–s can play,” AD told Draymond. “They can play hard. They are not afraid of the moment; they are not scared. These guys can really hoop.”
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Jan 6, 2026; Sacramento, California, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis (3) drives past Sacramento Kings guard DeMar DeRozan (10) in the first quarter at the Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images
Therefore, it looks like the current Wizards roster is giving Davis hope. He continued, “When I talk to the GM, when I talk to the owner, when I talk to the president, I’m always going to be about winning, right? No matter what, I want to win. And if that’s here, then that’s here.”
At 33, Davis understands rebuilding timelines—but he’s not interested in waiting long. He still sees himself as a high-level contributor and wants every remaining season to matter. That urgency makes Washington’s recent moves notable. The franchise added Trae Young earlier in January before acquiring Davis, signaling at least some level of win-now intent.
That plan never materialized on the court. Davis and Young have yet to share the floor, as both were sidelined before building any chemistry. Young managed just five appearances before being shut down with quad and back issues, while Davis suffered a hand injury in January and hasn’t played since, effectively ending any chance of seeing the duo this season.
Now, amidst a series of conversations, the 33-year-old NBA champ also opened Pandora’s box. He still doesn’t understand everything about Feb 2, 2025. Yes, the day the Lakers traded him to the Mavericks for Luka Doncic.
Anthony Davis speaks up about the Dallas Mavericks trade
The trade that shook the NBA to its very core happened in silence. And some things still don’t sit right with Anthony Davis. He shared with Draymond Green, “I call my dad. He doesn’t believe me. Then it pops up on ESPN. My phone starts blowing up. I’m in shock.” AD needed time to process what truly happened. “I had no idea this was happening. I couldn’t make sense of it. Why?”
The frustration wasn’t rooted in being moved for Luka Doncic. Davis made that much clear—he fully understood it was just business. “Even though I didn’t understand it, from a business standpoint, I get it. Luka is Luka. The call I got was 10 minutes before the trade was announced.” In simple terms, he had no inkling about the secret trade plan.
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Dec 23, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis (3) looks on during the game between the Mavericks and the Nuggets at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
“At some point, there had to be conversations about trading me for Luka, and it never got to me. That’s the biggest thing that f—ed with me this entire time. I feel like I deserved more respect than that,” he added.
That pain and frustration are the result of how the business went about it. Well, AD might have also imagined playing alongside Doncic at some point. But that didn’t happen. Neither did he get enough time to share the court with Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, and Cooper Flagg. Now, that’s in the past, and the Washington Wizards is his new home. And as Davis himself said, if he’s meant to win another title it’ll be here.
