When the Washington Wizards pulled off their deal to acquire forward Anthony Davis from the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday, it appears that Davis was not their sole option as the NBA trade deadline gets closer.
Another marquee NBA player was in the Wizards’ crosshairs as the NBA trade deadline will fall on Thursday at 3 p.m. ET. As it turned out, Washington didn’t get this star player and turned their attention to Davis.
Wizards Looked at Getting $220,441,984 NBA Star
Who were the Wizards eyeballing in a potential trade? They were looking at New York Knicks forward Karl-Anthony Towns. Towns was in the Knicks’ lineup on Wednesday night as they took on the Denver Nuggets at Madison Square Garden.
Jake Fischer, who writes about the NBA for “The Stein Line,” appeared on the Wizards Film Room account on X and shared what he’d heard regarding Towns. “I’d also heard that the Wizards, have not reported this anywhere yet or written this anywhere yet,” Fischer said.
“I’d also heard that the Wizards called New York in a similar capacity about this type of framework for Karl-Anthony Towns,” Fischer said.
@JakeLFischer reporting on his live show just now that the Wizards reached out to the Knicks about KAT, referencing the framework that ultimately landed them Anthony Davis. pic.twitter.com/u9dGHTbmbZ
— Wizards Film Room (@KevinFolliNBA) February 4, 2026
According to Spotrac, Towns signed a four-year, $220,441,984 contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves, including $220,441,984 in guaranteed money and an average annual salary of $55,110,496.
In the 2025-26 NBA season, Towns will earn a base salary of $53,142,264, while carrying a cap hit of $53,142,264 and a dead cap value of $53,142,264.
On Wednesday, ESPN NBA Insider Shams Charania posted on X that the “Dallas Mavericks are trading 10-time NBA All-Star Anthony Davis, Jaden Hardy, D’Angelo Russell and Dante Exum to the Washington Wizards for Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson, Malaki Branham, Marvin Bagley III, 2 first-round picks and 3 second-rounders, sources tell ESPN.”
Towns is in his second season with the Knicks after playing his first nine seasons with the Timberwolves. This season, Towns is averaging 19.8 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game, and shooting 46.1% from the floor.
As for Davis, he’s played in just 20 games this season. Davis is averaging 20.4 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game, and shooting 50.6% from the floor. Davis has now been traded to his second team in two seasons as he was sent to the Mavericks as part of the blockbuster trade with the Los Angeles Lakers for superstar Luka Dončić.
