The Best Trade from the NBA Trade Deadline So Far
Feb 5, 2026
The NBA trade deadline is fully underway! There have been a ton of interesting deals across the league, many that will shape and determine the playoff landscape and potentially even the NBA championship. But who had the best trade so far this deadline season? We took a look at all the deals so far and determined which was the best trade from the NBA trade deadline so far.
Washington Wizards Grab Anthony Davis
The Anthony Davis trade, from the Wizards' perspective, is the best NBA trade so far this deadline. The trade looked like this: Wizards get: Anthony Davis, Jaden Hardy, D'Angelo Russell, Dante Exum.
Mavs get: Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson, Malaki Branham, Marvin Bagley III, two first-round picks, three second-round picks.
While giving up two first-round picks might seem like a lot for an often-injured Davis, neither pick projects to be all that impactful. One pick is the Oklahoma City Thunder’s first-round pick from this season (projected at 30th overall), and one is the Golden State Warriors' pick in 2030, which is top-20 protected.
That’s why the Wizards got such a deal on Davis. When healthy, Davis is a potential franchise-altering star. Just last season, he was traded for Luka Doncic. Now the Wizards got him for a few role players and some low-value picks.
The one thing that could make this trade less of a win for the Wizards is if they are forced to sign Davis to a huge extension, and he continues to struggle with injuries and does not play much. Davis has played over 65 games just once since 2018, so that is a very real risk.
Still, taking the risk for Davis seems worth it. Even if things don’t work out, the Wizards really didn’t have to give up much to get him.
