The Washington Wizards have emerged as one of those low-laying teams more fans will be paying attention to next season.
Featuring a ton of exciting young talent, including No. 1 overall draft pick AJ Dybantsa, and veteran stars Trae Young and Anthony Davis, the Wizards, at least on paper, have the ammunition to win plenty of regular season games in the Eastern Conference next season. And with recent league changes intended to punish teams from tanking, we may be seeing the best Wizards team in years.
But Washington has not been free from the offseason trade speculation. Superstar big man Anthony Davis has swirled in NBA trade rumors all offseason. For now, the Wizards seem prepared to hang on to Davis, whom they traded for ahead of last season’s trade deadline. But what if the Wizards were offered a former MVP in exchange for Davis?
Would This Joel Embiid Trade Offer from 76ers Push Washington to Trade Davis?
GettyPHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – FEBRUARY 04: Anthony Davis of the Dallas Mavericks talks to Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ersafter the game at the Wells Fargo Center on February 04, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
Over in Philadelphia, the 76ers have become the new talk of basketball after landing LeBron James in free agency and Jaylen Brown in a seismic trade from the Boston Celtics. (Yes, Boston really traded its superstar to a conference rival.)
With James now on the team, landing Davis makes a lot more sense for the Sixers, as Davis is James’ championship teammate from the Los Angeles Lakers. Would the Sixers and Wizards agree to this simple trade?
Wizards receive: Joel Embiid
Sixers receive: Anthony Davis and a 2027 second round pick
This is, in effect, a superstar swap. A 33-year-old former MVP for a 32-year-old once-perennial MVP candidate. Both are often hurt but special when healthy.
So, what true incentive would each team have to do this trade?
Why Washington and Philly Do the Trade
For the Sixers, trading Embiid for Davis may come down to making peace with the fact that Embiid won’t have a healthy season between now and the end of his career. Davis, who is just slightly less injury-prone than Embiid, could make sense for the Sixers because of his proven fit alongside James, who is poised to play a lot of point guard in Philadelphia next season.
Remember, there were also reports in July that James would prefer signing with a team that acquired Davis in a trade.
“This brings us to the summer of 2026. The popular theory around the league is that LeBron has been slow-playing his decision to see if any of his suitors could find a way to land (Kyrie) Irving or Davis,” NBA insider Kevin O’Conner reported in July. “If a team proved capable of acquiring one of his championship teammates, sources say, it might sway him in that direction.”
For the Wizards, if Embiid can pull through and play just 55 games, they would become a serious force in the East. After all, Embiid is a considerably better individual talent than Davis when both big men are fully healthy.
But so far, the Wizards have resisted all the trade speculation surrounding Davis.
“AD’s in D.C., wants to be in D.C., and we’re gonna keep him there,” Wizards general manager Will Dawkins said on SiriusXM NBA Radio in July. “He was out here with all our guys. We had all 17 guys here, and he was a big part of what we had going on, leading our group workouts.”
But would the Wizards change their tune if they were given the opportunity to land Embiid?
If anything, an Embiid for Davis blockbuster would rattle the NBA landscape and put the Sixers under an even hotter spotlight.
76ers Projected to Trade Joel Embiid for 10x All-Star PF/C in Major Wizards Deal