A year after LeBron James’ fruitful partnership with Anthony Davis on the Los Angeles Lakers came to a shocking conclusion, the latter found himself on the move again.
Earlier this month, the star big man was shipped from the Dallas Mavericks to the Washington Wizards in arguably the most surprising move of this year’s trade deadline, prompting James to reconsider the rebuilding squad’s future.
LeBron James ‘Very Interested’ To Watch Anthony Davis-Led Wizards ‘Come Together’ Next Season
James and Davis served as one of the league’s most lethal one-two punches for five and a half seasons, winning the 2020 NBA title in their first campaign together. However, after an opportunity to pivot to a younger, superstar-caliber franchise cornerstone in Luka Dončić presented itself, LA didn’t hesitate to send Davis to Dallas at last year’s deadline.
While the move has worked out for the Lakers (33-21), injuries limited Davis to just 29 total outings with the Mavericks before the floundering squad (19-35) pulled the plug and retooled around rookie phenom Cooper Flagg.
Though Davis had been frequently mentioned in rumors leading up to the Feb. 5 deadline, Washington emerged seemingly out of nowhere to buy low on the 10-time All-Star’s services.
The Wizards managed to pull off a blockbuster deal featuring an assortment of role players and draft capital, without breaking up their young core.
Davis (finger) joined Trae Young (knee) as the second injured star Washington took a chance on acquiring midseason, with both having yet to suit up for the organization. Nevertheless, the Wizards, who sit 29th (14-39) among the league’s 30 teams, have caught James’ attention.
“Very interesting, very interesting,” James said on Tuesday’s edition of the “Mind the Game” podcast. “I’m very intrigued, and I’m very interested to see what happens and how this all comes about.
“Obviously, next year, kinda towards next year. I don’t know, I think AD’s out … and maybe Trae is not gonna play this year as well. But I’m interested to see what they do and how it all comes together.”
The four-time MVP continued to laud both Davis and Young from a talent perspective before going on to highlight some of his favorite prospects on Washington’s roster.
“With AD, obviously, we know the talent level is out of this world,” James shared. “And Trae, his ability to play the pick-and-roll game, his ability to shoot the ball, his lob threat.
“I love the young kid from France that they have on their team, too. We just played him, [Alex] Sarr. … Great touch, great feel for the game. Love the kid [Kyshawn] George as well, young kid, pretty good player, and then also the rookie kid that they got from Texas, [Tre] Johnson.”
James added that the Wizards have long sought to generate optimism about their direction, having last made the playoffs in 2021.
“They have some pieces, and I think for the first time in a few years, we can say that Washington has picked up some pieces,” James pointed out. “So, it’s gonna be interesting to see what happens.”
Aside from injury concerns, the 22-time All-Star noted that Washington’s success could hinge on “how motivated” Davis and Young are to “prove” to their former teams what they’re “capable of.”
Still, James concluded that “every year is different,” opting not to make a concrete prediction about the Wizards’ 2026-27 outlook.
