Ranking Top Trade Packages and Landing Spots for Anthony Davis

From the moment Anthony Davis landed with the Washington Wizards last season, the length of his stay in D.C. became a hot topic.

Early on, it was hard to understand how the Wizards intended to mix an extremely young roster of recent lottery picks with an aging future Hall of Famer.

Speculation about both Davis' and the team's intentions didn't slow down after the season ended. Remember, AD didn't choose to go to Dallas or Washington. It wasn't a surprise when rumors he wanted out cropped up.

After Washington secured the No. 1 overall pick, Davis' fit seemed even stranger.

So, as the league gets closer to its transactional apex in late June and early July, we need to consider some hypotheticals for Davis and the Wizards. Where might they trade him? What situations would make the most sense for both parties?

5. Houston Rockets

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Wizards Receive: Jabari Smith Jr., Dorian Finney-Smith, Tari Eason, 2027 second-round pick (via MEM)

Rockets Receive: Anthony Davis

Relative to what it cost the Wizards to get Davis in the first place, this is a pretty serious return package from the Rockets. Washington originally parted with veteran salary and a pair of future first-round picks, plus additional draft capital, to bring him in; turning that into multiple young forwards with upside would be strong business.

Getting Smith in this deal, plus Eason on what would have to be a sign-and-trade for at least $12 million in 2026-27 salary to make the math work, is a good piece of business. Smith and Alex Sarr could give the Wizards the rare dual-big frontcourt in which both the 4 and the 5 can stretch the defense and defend the rim. Eason's defensive tenacity and offensive rebounding would supercharge the second unit.

Houston adds another veteran star to a timeline that officially pivoted to "win now" when Kevin Durant came aboard while also preserving its ability to put immense size and elite rebounding on the floor at all times. The fit between Davis and Alperen Sengün would be fascinating, even if spacing would be a concern.

That's not exactly a new issue in Houston, though.

4. Minnesota Timberwolves

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Wizards Receive: Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, Joan Beringer, rights to No. 28 pick

Timberwolves Receive: Anthony Davis

This one is admittedly easier to understand from the Wolves' side, as they're giving up a player in Randle who used the most recent postseason to confirm he can't be a second option on a contender.

Davis would replace him in the first unit next to Rudy Gobert, perhaps cramping spacing but very likely making up for it on defense. Minnesota would be assured of having a dominant force in the middle at all times, and Naz Reid's shooting would complement both AD and Gobert.

If the Wizards view Randle as an asset they could rehabilitate and flip at the deadline, this return is more than sufficient. Beringer and the rights to Minnesota's late first-rounder in the upcoming draft are at least as valuable as the No. 30 pick and top-20 protected 2030 first Washington sent to Dallas last year.

The Wolves take on money in a transaction that would have to be completed after the league year flips in July, and they assume the headache of Davis' potential exit via player option in 2027. But they add major talent to a roster that is very much in the short-term title hunt.

3. LA Clippers

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Wizards Receive: Terance Mann, Bogdan Bogdanović, Brook Lopez, Nicolas Batum, 2027 first-round pick (via NYK), 2030 first-round pick (via LAC; top-14 protected), 2029 second-round pick (DAL via BKN)

Clippers Receive: Anthony Davis

Brooklyn Nets Receive: Derrick Jones Jr., Bradley Beal

Before you ask, no, there's no realistic way for the Wizards to turn Davis into the LA Clippers' No. 5 pick. All Dallas got were a pair of very late firsts when it dealt Davis, and the 10-time All-Star's value hasn't changed much since then.

The Wizards should do this in a heartbeat, as they take on only $16 million in 2027-28 salary in order to claim two future firsts and a second. The contracts of Bogdanović, Lopez and Batum all expire after the 2026-27 season, which turns them into trade chips or pure salary relief if nobody is interested at the deadline.

Brooklyn noses in with its cap space to facilitate, absorbing the final year of Beal's contract with Jones Jr. attached as the real prize. If the Nets are aiming to win more games this season, which they should without control of their 2027 first-rounder, Jones would bring defensive intensity and athleticism as a potential starter on a reasonable $10.5 million expiring salary.

LA is giving up five players for one here and will need to be comfortable populating a huge portion of the roster with minimums. It might be easier to do that if free agents are drawn to a core of Darius Garland, Kawhi Leonard and Davis. The fit between those three is appealing, though each of their health histories suggests we may not see the whole trio on the floor together all that often.

2. Charlotte Hornets

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Wizards Receive: Miles Bridges, Josh Green, Grant Williams, No. 14 pick

Hornets Receive: Anthony Davis

It would have made more sense for the Hornets to pull this off when Davis was a member of the Mavericks. Charlotte could have dangled Dallas' 2027 first-rounder (top-two protected), which it got from the PJ Washington deal in 2024.

Better late than never for the Hornets, though, who address a major weakness up front by adding Davis to the core of LaMelo Ball, Kon Knueppel and Brandon Miller. Charlotte scored at elite rates for the majority of last season but always felt a little undermanned at the 4 and 5 spots.

Davis' arrival would slot Moussa Diabate back into his ideal role as an energetic force off the bench, while Ryan Kalkbrenner could still expect minutes when Davis has to rest or misses time with injury.

Washington gets a better draft asset from Charlotte than it sent Dallas to get AD and absorbs the requisite $50-plus million in matching salary. Because all three of Bridges, Green and Williams' deals expire after next season, it might also be correct to view this as a savings of at least $63 million, which is what Davis' player option would cost the Wizards in 2027-28.

Washington could insist on Charlotte's other first-rounder, No. 18, but this package is already better than the one it sent out to land AD in the first place.

1. Golden State Warriors

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Wizards Receive: Jimmy Butler, No. 11

Warriors Receive: Anthony Davis

Fans of simplicity will be on board with this one, as the Wizards flip Davis for Butler's identical salary while grabbing the No. 11 pick in the 2026 draft for their trouble.

Butler is likely to miss most of the upcoming season after tearing his ACL on Jan. 19, so Washington is making itself significantly worse on the floor in order to secure the pick from Golden State. Then again, if Butler comes back in February and wants to prove he's worthy of a big deal in free agency, he could put together enough quality games to match or beat whatever the notoriously injury-prone Davis might manage in Golden State.

This is a pretty easy call for the Warriors, who know they aren't going to get anything from Butler until at least after the New Year. They can afford to take on Davis' health risks and potential extension demands because they need a star next to Stephen Curry on opening night.

Davis has been a Warriors killer for years, so they understand the impact of his interior defense, roll gravity and rebounding. If Golden State brings back either Al Horford or Kristaps Porzingis, it'll retain the spacing options it wants at center while slotting those two bigs into more appropriate backup roles.

Stats courtesy of NBA.com, Basketball Reference and Cleaning the Glass. Salary info via Spotrac.

Grant Hughes covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Bluesky and subscribe to the Hardwood Knocks podcast, where he appears with Bleacher Report's Dan Favale.