Victor Wembanyama and Anthony Davis finally team up in wild ESPN trade idea

Jeremy Beren

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Victor Wembanyama and Anthony Davis finally team up in wild ESPN trade idea image

Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Starting Monday, NBA trade season will heat up, as teams can finally trade players signed last offseason.

This means chatter around Dallas Mavericks big man Anthony Davis will only grow in advance of the Feb. 5 trade deadline.

A group of Eastern Conference contenders -- the Atlanta Hawks, the Toronto Raptors and the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons -- are expected to pursue Davis in the coming weeks, but Dallas may well feel that trading Davis in-conference makes the most financial sense.

A trade idea posited by ESPN would see the Mavericks not just move Davis within the Western Conference: Dallas could send him to an in-state rival.

The mock three-team trade would look like this:

Spurs get:

  • Anthony Davis

Mavericks get:

  • Harrison Barnes
  • Keldon Johnson
  • Luke Kornet
  • 2026 second-round pick (via Jazz)
  • 2028 and 2029 second-round picks (via Bulls)
  • Extinguish 2030 first-round swap rights

Bulls get:

  • Naji Marshall

This trade would see the Spurs prepare for postseason basketball by pairing Davis with Victor Wembanyama in a physically-imposing, defensively-nightmarish front line. 

Davis, a 10-time All-Star might be a good complementary fit next to Wembanyama and De'Aaron Fox, both of whom have high usage rates.

The Spurs' well-managed finances would put San Antonio in position where it would not have to send back matching salary to Dallas.

The Mavericks would save $30 million under the luxury tax by dealing Davis in-state -- which is vital for a team entering something of a rebuild around Cooper Flagg.

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