Anthony Davis may end up getting traded by the Washington Wizards this offseason, but it will likely involve some further creativity.
Washington is open to trading their 10-time All-Star big man Davis, veteran NBA writer Sam Amico of Hoops Wire reported on Monday. However, the Wizards are not interested in acquiring injured Golden State Warriors star Jimmy Butler as part of the deal, Amico adds.
We learned over the weekend that the Warriors were pursuing a trade for the 33-year-old Davis in the hopes of then luring LeBron James in free agency. However, any such deal would have to include the 36-year-old Butler, who is five months into his recovery from a torn ACL, for salary-matching purposes.
The Wizards are looking to move along two different timelines next season, one based around newly-acquired in-his-prime star Trae Young (who just received a rich new extension from the team) and one based around No. 1 overall draft pick AJ Dybantsa and the rest of their young core. Butler, who is making $56.8 million next season but will likely miss the majority of the year as he continues his recovery, does not fit either of those timelines, so it makes perfect sense why Washington does not care to absorb him.
Still, that means that the Warriors would have to get a third team involved if they want to acquire Davis. Because of Butler’s injury and bloated salary, the only logical fits would be tanking cap-space teams such as the Chicago Bulls or the Brooklyn Nets.
The Wizards are not at all locked into the Warriors’ pathway either and could easily end up trading Davis elsewhere instead. In fact, we learned earlier this month that there was one other notable team in the West that was also hot on Davis’ trail.
