The Portland Trail Blazers pursued a trade for Anthony Davis at the deadline. The Dallas Mavericks ultimately sent him to the Washington Wizards instead, as they didn't want to take on Jerami Grant's contract.
It remains to be seen if the Wizards will keep Davis to start the season, especially now that they've landed the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. But if the Wizards do make Davis available, expect the Blazers to revisit trade talks.
Anthony Davis is a backup option if Blazers can't land Giannis Antetokounmpo
Portland is a wild-card team to watch in the first offseason under new owner Tom Dundon. They are going to at least explore potential offers to address their relative lack of star power. The headliner will be Giannis Antetokounmpo, with the Blazers having expressed interest and the Milwaukee Bucks looking to decide on the superstar's future before the June 23 draft.
However, two factors are keeping a Giannis trade in pipe-dream territory for now. For one, Giannis has key leverage in determining his landing spot due to his player option in 2027-28. Teams aren't going to make an all-in move unless they can get assurance he's committed to staying there beyond a potential one-year rental. Meanwhile, the Blazers' front office has said they are open to acquiring a star but won't sacrifice the entire future to make that a reality.
So, Portland is already hesitant to make an all-in move, and could be further deterred by Giannis' disinterest in coming to the Pacific Northwest. That's why the backup plan, Anthony Davis, is actually the more realistic option.
Anthony Davis may not be worth the risk for Portland
At the same time, Portland has to realize that there's a reason Davis fits their price point. There are multiple red flags surrounding a Davis trade, including his age, contract, lack of floor spacing, and injury history.
Davis is on a downward trajectory in his career at 33, meaning Portland may be overpaying for the household name rather than his on-court production. Not just in terms of assets surrendered, but also in terms of the contract, as he's on the books for $58.5 million with a $62.8 million player option in 2027-28. If you think extending Deni Avdija is going to be challenging now, adding a $60 million contract into the equation is only going to add another layer of complexity for Portland to retain and upgrade its current core.
It would be one thing if Davis fit that young core, but this would be a short-term rental to align with the closing windows of Damian Lillard and Jrue Holiday. I understand a Giannis trade to try and contend during that timeframe, but a Davis trade, unfortunately, wouldn't raise Portland's ceiling enough.
If they want to take the realistic aging-star route, Kevin Durant would be a better fit than Davis. His shooting and shot-creation are what this Blazers roster is missing more than Davis' skill set.
This is all assuming Davis stays healthy, which is also far from a guarantee. Portland just went through a frustrating season, dealing with one injury after another. Is the follow-up move trading for one of the most injury-prone stars in the league?
They have the right idea of landing a star for relatively cheap, while attempting to straddle these two entirely different timelines they've put themselves in. But if it's not Giannis, there has to be a better contingency plan out there than Davis.
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