Emergency Pod | Mavericks Trade Anthony Davis To Wizards

Summary

No Dunks Emergency Pod | Mavericks Trade Anthony Davis To Wizards

Date: February 4, 2026
Hosts: Je Skeets, Tas Melas, Trey Kirby
Podcast: No Dunks / iHeartPodcasts

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Episode Overview

This emergency episode dives into the jaw-dropping eight-player trade that sent Anthony Davis from the Dallas Mavericks to the Washington Wizards on the eve of the NBA trade deadline. The guys break down the motivations, winners, and long-term impact of the blockbuster move, discuss what it means for both franchises, and touch on another big trade of the day: Jared McCain to OKC. Throughout, the familiar mix of sharp analysis and playful banter keeps things lively for hoops fans trying to make sense of shifting NBA power dynamics.

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Main Trade Details [03:16]

Trade:

• To Wizards: Anthony Davis, Jaden Hardy, D'Angelo Russell, Dante Exum
• To Mavericks: Khris Middleton, A.J. Johnson, Malaki Branham, Marvin Bagley III, two first-round picks (2026 OKC #30, 2030 Warriors 21–30 protected), three second-round picks

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

Wizards’ Perspective

• Low Cost for High Upside:
  • Wizards didn’t give up significant youth or prime picks—most key prospects (Keyshawn George, Alex Sarr, Trey Johnson) remain.
  • Both first-rounders are late: 2026 OKC (#30 overall) and a heavily protected 2030 Warriors pick.
  • Quote (Taz Melas, 04:14):
    “The Washington Wizards didn’t give up a lot. … That’s like the best second rounder you can get. That’s all that is.”
• Strategy Shift for Rebuilding Teams:
  • Using cap space to absorb contracts and accelerate out of a long rebuild. Wizards want respectability rather than perpetual tanking.
  • Quote (Trey Kirby, 06:15):
    “When you’ve won 15 games followed by 18 games, then a 13 and 36 season, that play-in starts looking like a juicy steak in a Tom and Jerry cartoon.”
  • Defense could be strong with AD and Sarr covering for Trae Young.
• Impact on Youth:
  • Questions if bringing in established stars (AD, Trae) will stunt younger players’ development, but locker room vets may help.

Mavericks’ Perspective

• Underwhelming Return:
  • No blue-chip young talent from the Wizards; main assets are late picks and veteran salary.
  • Quote (Je Skeets, 08:01):
    “A little bummed to see in a trade with the Wizards, they didn’t get any of their young guys... It was really just those picks.”
  • Reflects downward spiral since trading Luka Doncic for AD; Dallas now retools focus around Cooper Flagg.
• Trade Timing & Value:
  • Skepticism on why Dallas didn’t wait for potentially better offers in the offseason—AD still had time on his deal.
  • Quote (Taz Melas, 09:43):
    “Why didn’t they just wait till the offseason to see if there was something better than a high first-round pick…? He didn’t have to play basketball at all this season.”
• Transition Era:
  • Clear signal that it’s “Cooper Flagg time” and almost everyone else (except perhaps Kyrie Irving) is available for trade.
  • Quote (Trey Kirby, 15:06):
    “At the very least, I think everybody else on the Mavericks is definitely available…”

The Anthony Davis Angle

• Injury and Reliability Issues:
  • Repeated references to AD’s propensity for injuries and the risk for the Wizards.
  • Quote (Trey Kirby, 07:54):
    “He’s hurt currently. And apparently, this is the best the Mavericks are going to do because they don’t want to pay the guy.”
• Contract Extension Speculation:
  • General expectation: A Davis extension will soon be negotiated – part of why he accepted the trade.
  • Wizards’ history of risky veteran contracts brought up humorously.
  • Quote (Trey Kirby, 13:23):
    “They paid John [Wall]. They gave John Wall a giant contract when he was injured. They gave Gilbert Arenas a giant contract when he was injured. They love to do this.”

Impact for Both Sides

• Wizards Get Respectability:
  • Aiming for the play-in tournament or even the 7th spot as tangible progress.
  • Quote (Trey Kirby, 06:55):
    “That 10 seed’s looking nice. Next year, they might get up to seventh. But that’s an advancement, right?”
• Dallas Resets Around Youth:
  • Focus is on Cooper Flagg, possibly Kyrie, and moving out veterans to accumulate more picks or prospects.

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Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• Play-in Aspiration Humor:
  • Trey Kirby (06:15): “When you’ve won 15 games followed by 18 games, then a 13 and 36 season, that play-in starts looking like a juicy steak in a Tom and Jerry cartoon.”
• Wizards’ Contract History:
  • Trey Kirby (13:23): “They paid John Wall a giant contract when he was injured. They gave Gilbert Arenas a giant contract when he was injured. They love to do this.”
• On Mavs’ Haul for AD:
  • Je Skeets (08:01): “A little disappointing in the return, especially…this is the guy you traded Luka Doncic for.”
• D’Angelo Russell's Career Trajectory:
  • Trey Kirby (23:49): “D’Angelo Russell feels like he was made to be a Washington Wizard.”
  • Je Skeets (23:54): “I had to double-check that he hadn’t already played for the Wizards!”

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Other Trade: Jared McCain to OKC [24:26]

• Trade:
  • To Thunder: Jared McCain
  • To 76ers: 2026 Rockets first-round pick (#26), three 2nd-rounders
• Hosts’ Reactions:
  • Smart “buy-low” by OKC, who use their pick surplus and get a potential offensive spark plug.
  • Philly frees up roster and a pick, possibly to address needs elsewhere or open minutes.
• Taz Melas (24:53):
  "OKC did it again…This just smells like OKC success. This is, this is a great move for them."
• Trey Kirby (26:25):
  "The Thunder can use another guy who can create with the ball in his hands, can shoot from outside, so this is decent."

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Season Outlooks and Speculation

• Wizards’ Over/Under Next Year:

  • Discussion about projected win totals, optimistic that 34–40 wins (or play-in) are realistic if AD and Trae are healthy.
  • Trey Kirby (23:07): “Give me 40, 40 and a half. Is the line okay. Can you finish 500?”
  • Je Skeets (23:15): “I'm taking the under if it's 500, I'll tell you right now.”

• Dallas’ Next Moves:

  • Expect more deals to come as remaining veterans become available.

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Fun & Bantz

• Najee Marshall jokes about "trying to do Cooper Flagg’s laundry" to stay in Dallas (15:41).
• Skeets’ heart “skipped a beat” thinking Raptors might land AD (09:01).
• Tas's wife misunderstanding "Pat McAfee" during the lunch trade bomb drop (09:43).
• “It’s not Pat McCaffey, it’s not Path McAfee, it’s Pat McAfee.” - Tas Melas (33:24).

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Trade Announcement & Details: 03:07–04:14
• Initial Reactions, Wizards Side: 04:14–07:54
• Mavs’ Perspective, Value Discussion: 08:01–09:43
• Contract & Future Outlook for AD: 12:14–13:23
• Franchise Outlook—Wizards & Play-in Debate: 17:46–23:15
• Secondary Trade (McCain): 24:26–29:30
• Show Wrap Up and Future Rumors: 31:01–33:34

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Summary

The guys unanimously termed the Anthony Davis trade as an unexpected but logical fit for a Wizards team desperate to become competitive and escape the NBA basement. The Mavericks’ return is viewed as underwhelming, but the hosts agree there was little better out there, especially due to AD’s age and injury history. Meanwhile, OKC's opportunistic add of Jared McCain fits their model perfectly. Both deals hint at a new trade-deadline landscape where even big names move not just for title runs but for play-in relevance, and roster reshuffles shape the future on the fly.

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Final Thoughts: If you care about team-building math, post-prime superstar value, and relentless NBA rumor-mongering—with plenty of laughs—this is essential listening for trade season.

Transcript

[Bowen Yang]

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[Taz Melas]

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[Je Skeets]

Five Rings hits the Italian Alps for.

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[Je Skeets]

Good afternoon, sweet world. It's still Wednesday, February 4th, and yep, we're back for another no Dunks Emergency podcast presented by FanDuel. I'm Je Skeets, here in the yard with two guys who at this pace might also be moved by tomorrow's NBA trade deadline. It's Tas Melas and Trey Kirby. What's up guys?

[Taz Melas]

What's up? What'd you have for lunch, Skeets?

[Je Skeets]

Nothing. No, no, I'm going on 36 hours of not eating. Too much news in the end.

[Trey Kirby]

Trade deadline Survivor.

[Je Skeets]

That's right. That's right. Thanks to everybody or hello to everybody joining us live on YouTube. Hit the like button. Subscribe if you're new here. We go live every day at 10am Eastern. We're doing a long stream tomorrow starting at 10, going all the way through to the buzzer of the NBA trade deadline podcast. Listeners, we love you too. Leave your boys a five star rating and review again. Another day, another Southern lawyer. Have at it.

[Trey Kirby]

Oh, we got ourselves a trade.

[Je Skeets]

Oh yeah, he said that one with a little more gusto because this one was a little shocking.

[Trey Kirby]

Nice.

[Je Skeets]

Let's throw it up on the screen for everybody here joining us on YouTube. It's a biggie. A lot of players moving here. The Dallas mavericks are trading 10 time all star Anthony Davis to the Washington Wizards as part of an eight player trade. The Mavs will receive Chris Middleton, A.J. johnson, Malachi Bronham, Marvin Bagley III, two first round draft picks and three second rounders. Ad Like I said, going to Washington, also acquiring Jaden Hardy, d' Angelo Russell and Dante Exum in the trade. And we know what those draft picks are. Taz Dallas is receiving a 2026 Thunder first round pick and a 2030 protected warriors first round pick. So that is the breakdown ad to the Wizards. Your thoughts? Immediate thoughts here.

[Taz Melas]

The Washington Wizards didn't give up a lot. That's my initial thought. Two first round picks aren't real. Two first round picks at all. The one this coming draft is OkC's. It's the 30th pick. That's the bottom of the first round. That's like the best second rounder you can get. That's all that is. And then the other one, it's 1 through 20 protected. So it's 21 through 30. It's a late first round pick essentially for for Anthony Davis. That's how I'm looking at it. Just one late first round pick. No disrespect to all of the players involved. Hopefully AJ Johnson can become something. That being said, I'm a little surprised that the Dallas Mavericks didn't wait until the off season. Maybe they could have got something more than this for Anthony Davis, but they're making a trade right here, right now because this is all they can get.

[Trey Kirby]

TK yeah, you know I told Laura I'm hopping on in another emergency Podcast Anthony Davis got traded. She said, what, is it always like this? I was like, well, I mean, there is usually trades running up to the deadline, but they're not usually big trades like this, big names. And I said, part of that is, you know, we're old and these old guys are starting to get traded at the end of their careers when they have big contracts. But also the trade deadline has just become free agency now. Team big name players are more likely to change teams at the deadline. And a team like the Wizards is really indicative of the new way that the NBA works where you use your cap space to acquire players. They did it for Trae Young, moving off of C.J. mcCollum and Corey Kispert. They're going to have to pay Trae Young. They did it with Khris Middleton moving off his expiring contract and now they're going to have to pay Anthony Davis. That that's why they had this cap space. Everybody's saying, why are they doing this? Why are they trying to accelerate the rebuild after they just traded away Denny Abdia? Trying to get younger. But look, when you've won 15 games followed by 18 games, then a 13 and 36 season, that play in starts looking like a juicy steak in a Tom and Jerry cartoon. It looks nice. Nobody wants to suck for five straight years. Sometimes you have to get better. The Wizards didn't give up any of their valuable young players, any of the guys that they actually drafted and hoped to build around in Keyshawn George, and most importantly, Alex Sar. Trey Johnson. He remains a Wizard. They did trade A.J. johnson. Maybe he turns into something for Dallas, but he was kind of just a throw in in the trade last year, getting Middleton in the Kuzma deal. So I understand why the Wizards did this. I think their defense can be pretty nasty with AD and Alex Sar, two guys who don't want to play center, even though they should probably play center. You add two, four and a half up together, somehow it turns into two fives. So it's interesting they'll be able to cover for Trae Young. I don't know if this stunts the development of guys like Trey Johnson, George a little bit. You know, I think that accelerating the rebuild probably takes the focus off those guys a little bit, but also having vets around who know how to play basketball is going to help them in the long term. So yeah, if you add up Trae Young, Anthony Davis, what the Wizards already have left over, that 10 seeds looking nice, next year, they might get up to seventh, but that's an advancement. Right? Like, they are getting better. So I totally understand it and I'm with you. Disappointing return for Anthony Davis to be getting two picks in the 20s, one this year and then one four years down the road. But that's what the market was for. AD he's unreliable.

[Taz Melas]

He.

[Trey Kirby]

He's hurt currently. And apparently this is the best the Mavericks are going to do because they don't want to pay the guy. Yeah.

[Je Skeets]

What did I say on this morning's no Dunk podcast when we were talking about the Mavericks and Cooper Flag, like, looking immediately like a superstar and like, man, they got to go get some young talent to pair with him right now. Like, don't even worry about picks too much. Let's get some talent. Little bummed to see in a trade with the Wizards, they didn't get any of their like, young guys. Like you listed three already, TK but you know, Will Riley, obviously. Bub Carrington as a guard, Koula Bali, still young. Like, yeah, nobody coming back. So it was really just those picks and some second rounders and, and obviously guys to make it all work. But a little disappointing in the return especially. This is the guy you traded Luka Doncic for as well. I know that's done and dusted and it's in the past, but man, when you're going to be stacking it all up and looking at the basketball reference page moving forward, it's going to hurt the Wizards. Pretty funny. I'll admit my heart skipped a beat task when I saw the Shams tweet come in and I saw that it was Anthony Davis and I saw there was a bunch of players and I thought, shit, he's going to the Raptors. That's where my mind immediately went. And then I let out a big sigh of relief when I saw Wizards. But yeah, they get a obviously a guy who is, when he plays a talented, talented defensive guy and there's going to hope him and Trey Young. All those rumors about Trey Young and A.D. here in Atlanta ends up happening in Washington.

[Trey Kirby]

They do want to play together.

[Je Skeets]

They do want to play together. So yeah, we'll see. But I'm with you guys sort of on both sides of this. Not a lot to get them and a little disappointing from Dallas's side of things, I guess. But they're also just ripping off the band aid and it's Cooper Flag time. Of course.

[Taz Melas]

Sure. But I don't see why a guy who's signed through next season and then the following season has a player option. So he's Got a year under, locked in, guaranteed on his contract that they didn't just wait till the off season to see if there was something better than a high first round pick. I mean, pick between the 20 and 30 mark. I don't know why they didn't wait. He didn't have to play basketball at all this season. They could have kept him home considering he's all he is injured. But yeah, that's why I'm far more optimistic about the wizard side of things. Cause I am. I was like you, Skeets. I mean, I was sitting, having some Indian lunch with my wife. We just sat down to eat, and then the tweet comes in and I see Wizards and I see other players and she goes, she was looking at a screen and she goes, who's Pat McPhee? And I said, hold on a sec. What? Pat? No, no, no. Pat McAfee. And then. So I started looking at the tweet and she said. And then I said, no, it's not Pat McAfee. It's Pat McAfee. So I was very occupied. I've got lunch in front of me. I'm talking about Pat McAfee. And then you see Wizards plus all these picks and all these players. It seemed a little bit like, whoa, they're paying a lot. But then you start to look through it and it really. It's one late first round pick for Anthony Davis. I know he does want to get paid this off season and extend past just one more guaranteed deal. Well, I would say one more guaranteed year. Like just because that player option is juicy two seasons from now, he wants a long term deal, but I don't even know if the, if the Wizards pay him this off season, I think it'd be smart just to see him play next year for their team and then make a decision after that in 2027. After a year of him playing the four, which he'll be super happy to do with Alex Sar beside him, at least he can be a mentor for Alex Saar. I mean, this is just. I know it's towards the end of his career and you know, Trae Young is where he's at. But it's got to be way more optimistic for Wizards fans going forward because Anthony Davis is playing for a contract. You look at it that way. I mean, he does want to get more money. It's not, it's not like he's going to be air quotes injured all the time. I mean, he wants, he's going to want to play basketball. Yeah, yeah. You know What? I mean, he's going to be injured as few games as possible next season.

[Trey Kirby]

I mean, the Wizards probably don't hope that his career is near the end. He's only. He's only what, 32 years old. I mean, we talk like Anthony Davis is 100 year old man, and he's coming to the end of his career. They're going to pay him. When these trades happen, the extension is part of it. Like it's going to be coming down the line. Sure, they could say, yeah, go out and play. But part of the reason that AD is okay with the trade like this is that he's going to get paid. Same thing with Trae Young. They see the opportunity there from a salary cap perspective, knowing it's coming down the line. You throw in the fact that Rich Paul's his agent, you know, this guy's getting paid. So the Wizards have to hope he stays on the court and that he lives up to his contract going forward.

[Taz Melas]

Yeah, I am so interested to see how much they pay a guy who's turning 33 real soon. March 11th. Big birthday for Anthony Davis. Then he's going to be 34 at the end of that season, and you're going to sign a contract. He'll be asking for literally something until he's 37, 38. For someone who has some trouble playing games, that's. I don't know if the Washington Wizards are that type of team. I don't know if will Bradley Beal.

[Trey Kirby]

A no trade clause.

[Taz Melas]

Oh, that's.

[Trey Kirby]

They paid John. They gave John Wall a Giant contract when he was injured. They gave Gilbert Arenas a Giant contract when he was injured. They love to do this.

[Taz Melas]

Front offices, grow up, man. They grow up.

[Trey Kirby]

It is a new front office. There's no doubt about it, which is what they do. Yeah, those guys all got fired. So, I mean, yeah, let's see how this goes. But, yeah, I mean, I don't think the Mavericks could have done much better, but. Because think about it, there were rumors that the Bulls were going to be chasing after Anthony Davis. I was like, no, thank you. You guys are saying the Raptors were chasing after him. No, thank you. Happy to be out of the Anthony Davis business. Even the Wizards fans we know are like, oh, I don't know if I want to be trading for this guy. We're just dumb fans. So what do you think front offices are thinking that actually have to put their reputations and money on the line for this? That's why this deal got done. This is the best offer they could get.

[Taz Melas]

Yeah, for sure. Yeah.

[Je Skeets]

No, it's not like this is like out of nowhere. We've known Anthony Davis has been in trade rumors for a very long time. Yeah. So you would have to imagine they did their due diligence and obviously canvassed the rest of the league and other teams. Like, what are you offering? What's that? And you know, on paper you see two first round picks, three second rounders and you're like, okay, not bad. And then yeah, you dig a little deeper into the actual details of the picks and you're like, okay, yeah, they're sort of. Yeah, they're first round picks. But you know, we're not talking lottery picks here by any means. But they're just. They're just. Obviously the decision's been made now. Now it's Kyrie. Will he play with Cooper like you talked about this morning? TK like when he comes back, if he comes back this season or is it more likely next season and you give that a go or he'll be obviously available too as this they just lean into the Cooper flag it of it all.

[Trey Kirby]

Well, at the very least I think everybody else on the Mavericks is definitely available. Kyrie probably not because they would like to see him next to Cooper FL and he's currently injured. But guys like PJ Washington, Daniel Gafford, Klay Thompson is certainly available. He's got a long.

[Je Skeets]

Najee Marshall.

[Trey Kirby]

Najee Marshall. Like, I think that teams are going to be calling Dallas and I think we'll be talking about him tomorrow on our epic live stream.

[Je Skeets]

Yeah, possibly. I loved. I don't know if you saw those comments from Najee Marshall recently. He was. He's trying all he can to like stick stick by Cooper Flag in Dallas.

[Trey Kirby]

I love this guy.

[Je Skeets]

Talking up Cooper loves.

[Trey Kirby]

Yeah, I want to do his laundry. I want to make his bed for him.

[Je Skeets]

That's smart man. Try and stick there. But we'll see. Yeah, maybe it gets moved. There may be not done here. Maybe there's more draft capital coming. Tasks in way of other players. Like some of these are serviceable players.

[Taz Melas]

Definitely. You know, one guy that wasn't talking up Cooper flag was Anthony Davis. Trey, you pointed out how they weren't communicating in different like huddles and all that. Although I brought up post game. He did give a head rub during his post game interview. So yeah, I understand people want to be beside Cooper Flag because he is the next one. Maybe Anthony Davis didn't. I know what's going around now is probably Anthony Davis was traded for Luka doncic and played 29 games for the Dallas Mavericks in total and then got dealt for a late first round pick. It's some sad tweets going around Dallas fan.

[Je Skeets]

I'm sure that trade was immediately the worst trade of all time and has only really gotten worse because at least you were like well AD is a good player when he plays and when he play plays, he's solid. I mean is it that bad? Yeah, no, it was always bad. And it's even worse because he got injured like he always does or tends to and then they get this return.

[Taz Melas]

Yeah, it is. I know, I know. We, it's, it's a little similar to Trae Young in that a a contender or somebody on the higher end of the that the types of teams in the NBA that are looking to win a championship didn't go get A.D. i mean it's either one end or the other. It's a real bad team like the Washington Wizards or it could be a championship type team trying to go for one shot with Anthony Davis. And that's the disappointing part. You know from, from a fan's perspective beside Wizards fans perspective, just as soon.

[Je Skeets]

As he got injured, I mean that went poof right? Like yeah, the good team making a move for him. It's going to be a team like this. So what do you think Tas of Trey thinking Wizards frisky playing team next year? Is it playing or bust for Washington? When you look at the Eastern Conference landscape and can they get there and they should able to what do you think?

[Taz Melas]

Well gosh, yeah. Yeah they should be able to play in her bust. You know there it could be busty. I mean there's a lot of still playing worthy teams in the Eastern Conference. So yeah now that we're watching the Charlotte Hornets team rise, it's not a lock that the Wizards would make it.

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[Bowen Yang]

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[Je Skeets]

As Two Guys Five Rings hits the.

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[Nick Jonas]

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[Jay Shetty]

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[Nick Jonas]

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[Taz Melas]

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[Je Skeets]

Any other thoughts? Trey on on this deal.

[Trey Kirby]

Wizards haven't been above 500 since the 201718 season. Getting to 41 and 41 would be awesome for them. I think they have a chance to be in the play in tournament Next year, assuming some development from their young guys. I wonder how many games Trae Young and Anthony Davis are going to play in the second half of the season. I think if I'm a Wizards fan, I would like to at least see him on the court a little bit together, see what Trey can bring to the young guys there, see how he meshes with Anthony Davis as well. But, you know, they did the trade for Trae Young, what, two weeks ago, three weeks ago. this point, he doesn't look like he's in a hurry to come back. We know it'll be after the All Star break. And so Anthony Davis, maybe end of March, come on back. We'll keep our lottery pick. Hope we hit a big one. And then they've got the nucleus of something at least interesting in the Eastern Conference.

[Taz Melas]

Yeah, the over under for the, for the Dallas Mavericks coming into this season was 41 and a half with AD and Cooper flag supposed to be, you know, the, the two guys leading their team. AD Was supposed to be healthy at the beginning of the year. What's the Wizards over under total going to be next year if the team's looking like it is right here, right now? A little.

[Je Skeets]

If AD And Trey Young are playing at the start of the season, what you're saying with all their other young guys, they're going to be. The line's going to be 34 and.

[Taz Melas]

A half higher, I think higher, too.

[Trey Kirby]

I'm just thinking of teams like, okay, so the Bulls are going to be worse next season. The Bucks are going to be. Works next season. So there are two guys that are. There are two teams that are ahead of Washington right now. I assume Washington will be better than the next next year.

[Je Skeets]

But the Pacers will be better.

[Trey Kirby]

Pacers will be better. Give me, give me 40, 40 and a half. Is the line okay. Can you finish 500?

[Je Skeets]

I'm taking the under if it's 500, I'll tell you right now.

[Trey Kirby]

Oh, absolutely, absolutely.

[Je Skeets]

Yeah. Yeah. That's why I thought it'd be a little lower, but we'll see. What else. Any other players, any of the other guys you touched on A.J. johnson, you got a little excited tasks that maybe he one of these guys that can grow alongside Cooper. But otherwise is it a bit of. A. Bit of a shrug to a lot of these names?

[Taz Melas]

Unfortunately, it's a. That's a shrug fest here.

[Je Skeets]

Yeah.

[Taz Melas]

Simple as that.

[Je Skeets]

I'll throw it back up for everybody. If you're just joining us, there's all the names included here.

[Trey Kirby]

There's Some names. D' Angelo Russell feels like he was made to be a Washington Wizard.

[Je Skeets]

I had to double check that he hadn't already played for the Wizards.

[Trey Kirby]

Exactly.

[Je Skeets]

I sort of thought he had.

[Trey Kirby]

Exactly right.

[Stugots]

Yeah.

[Je Skeets]

Yeah, I agree. I thought he already played.

[Taz Melas]

Yeah. The net stays. Kind of make it feel like it was wizard, like, you know.

[Je Skeets]

Yeah. Yeah, maybe. All right. Any other. Any other thoughts? Because we have another little smaller deal.

[Trey Kirby]

Hey, Marvin Bagley. Marvin Bagley's had a good season.

[Je Skeets]

Yes, he has.

[Trey Kirby]

Big beans himself. He's. He's looked all right. He's looked all right. I look good next to Cooper. Flag a couple of dookies.

[Je Skeets]

We had a second trade not long after the big ad to the Washington Wizards trade was broken by Shams. And that is the 76ers trading guard Jared McCain to the Oklahoma City Thunder for a 2026 Rockets first round pick and three second round picks. Jared McCain going to the defending champs. Tass, your immediate reaction to this one?

[Taz Melas]

My immediate reaction was frustration, anger. Okay. See, did it again. That. What a smart move. A very, very smart move to pick up Jared McCain when his trade value was at its lowest. I would say. He's only been in the league for one year and had such a good rookie season. Came into this one banged up, immediately injured after that photo shoot that video came out of him working out. If you remember, he was lifting a 2.5 pound weight. That was. It was a different photo shoot, different from his injury, but at the same time it happened. It was really strange preseason. He hasn't been able to play and get into the rotation of the Sixers who are looking to drop some money here as they go forward. But he had such a good season last year. This is just an OKC smart move to have this guy be able to come off your bench and literally drop 15 or 18 in a quarter if need be. I mean, he could go help win a playoff game. That's how good he is off the bench. And to give up only a late first rounder essentially for him along with those second round picks. I think this just, this just smells like OKC success. This is, this is a great move for them.

[Je Skeets]

All right. Tas likes it. You know, the surplus of picks, obviously that. Okay, OKC has Trey, they go get Jared McCain. They. They do see maybe a buy low opportunity. And Philly had other reasons to sort of get off him. But. What are your initial response?

[Trey Kirby]

Yeah, I'm with Taz. I think this is a pretty smart use of extra picks by the Thunder. Currently, the Rockets Pick is number 26. Are you getting a better player than Jared McCain at number 26 in this year's draft? Maybe. Maybe not though. How good is Jared McCain? I don't know. He had 23 awesome games last season when the 76ers were doing absolutely nothing. He has not looked as good this season though. I will say he's been trending up in the year 2026. Shot 49% from 3 in January, currently a whopping 2 for 4 from 3 in February. The Thunder can use another guy who can create with the ball in his hands, can shoot from outside, so this is decent. Like Alex Crusoe. He's out for two games. Throw in Jared McCain, he gets some minutes. Kayson Wallace, he's bricking tonight. We're throwing in Jared McCain. We just found out Shake Yel just Alexander is going to miss a little bit of time. It'll be good to have somebody with the ball in his hands getting shots up. I think this is what they should be doing when they have so many extra picks. So good on them. As for Philadelphia, you know, I think it means that they're going to convert Dom Barlow from a two way contract to a standard contract since they're clearing a roster spot here. I think it also means that there's a chance that Quentin Grimes comes back to Philadelphia since there's a little bit less of a log jam in their backcourt there. Also, getting this pick, the Rockets first rounder, maybe it allows them to continue shopping for some sort of a big wing while Paul George is out. So I think a decent trade for both sides.

[Je Skeets]

Yeah, I was kicking myself when I saw this news break on Twitter from Shams because I meant to bring up this morning on our podcast a tweet from Spike Eskin, who obviously follows the Sixers closely in the rights to Ricky Sanchez podcast. And Spike had tweeted last night, quote, unless I'm missing something, Jared McCain did not touch the floor in the second half until the game is over with a minute left. What are we doing here? It's a good win. Sixers beat the Warriors. First win in a while that looked like the early season Sixers. But what are we doing here? So Spike, Spike noticed this. What's going on with how we're playing Jerick McCain and why we're not playing Jerick McCain in this game last night against the warriors. And maybe this was all a part of the reason why that he gets dealt out and shipped to OKC the next day. But yeah, it's a nice move by okc. No one's gonna like. It's like the guy was like the front runner immediately for rookie of the year and in a weird class. I get that before the injury and like can he get back to that level and if not exceed it? There'll be a role for him in okc and you can give SGA maybe another week or two off because we did learn immediately after from Seam's task that he's got an abdominal strain. SGA does gonna be re evaluated in a week or so. It's probably nothing all that serious, but I guess he's gonna miss the All Star game. He's not gonna play for the world Team. So. Alpern, Shen, Goon, you're in, buddy. I'm assuming.

[Taz Melas]

Yeah, you gotta assume that Shay will not be playing for team International. Unfortunately, that, that gives. I call them Team International. I don't know why I call them. I guess they're. They're just the world team. But that gives USA just more likeliness that they're gonna win the All Star game without Shea Gilgis Alexander out there. But I do want to say when Shake Eldris Alexander plays, when OKC is out there with their guys, they need a support player just to create a little bit and that's what Jeremy McCain can do. So that's the promising thing about Jared McCain. Looking forward to that OKC. I just got a note here from my daughter. We are home. Love you, dad. Okay.

[Je Skeets]

Oh, that's nice.

[Taz Melas]

Good. Good to know.

[Je Skeets]

Breaking news. Shams. Get that tweet up.

[Taz Melas]

Get it out.

[Trey Kirby]

I think it's good for OKC to get a guy who is like a variance kind of player, right? Like Jared McCain. Maybe he'll have five points one night. They don't need very much from him, but he could go for 35 one night. And they don't necessarily have a ton of those guys on the roster, especially with J Dub working his way back from injury. So I think it's good to have just like a guy that's got a really high offensive ceiling. Like we've seen Aaron Wiggins have a 40 point game, but. But you don't expect that out of a dort or a wall. It's like it's more unusual for them to have scoring outbursts. It's good to have another microwave scorer around.

[Je Skeets]

All right, if you're just joining us here on YouTube. Hello, hello, hello. Anthony Davis, traded to the Wizards in an eight player deal. Khris Middleton, the real big name coming back to Dallas and two first round picks, three second rounders and then Jared McCain traded from the Sixers to the Thunder. Those were today's deals. Obviously had a lot. Oh, we just lost Tess Test.

[Taz Melas]

Nah, Tass is here just taking care of business.

[Je Skeets]

Okay.

[Taz Melas]

You know, this is trade deadline week. Anything can happen.

[Je Skeets]

Absolutely. And we might be back, for all we know, a little bit later here in the day. It's Wednesday still, I guess. Like who's the next big name? We're waiting on John Moran, of course. What happens there? Does he go to Miami or not? Demontes Sabonis, I mean there's been a lot of smoke there. He was getting linked to the Wizards. Actually. There was some talk like is it Ad or Sabonis? Really not Ad. It was like really Sabonis's name was being linked to them. Where does he go? Does he go to the Raptors or not? And then yeah, obviously the Yanis of it all doesn't happen because he told somebody on a phone call, Eric Nam, I want to be in Milwaukee. Maybe Tass's. Tass's prediction will come true after all. So we'll call it there. If we don't see you again for an emergency podcast, we will see you tomorrow morning at 10am Eastern for our epic NBA Trade deadline Special starting at 10am Eastern. Going all the way through to the buzzer of the actual deadline at 3pm Eastern. We'll probably go past that because stuff starts to trickle in right before the end. So we are going to have some fun. We'll just be on all day streaming from the Classic Factory. So pop in, pop out, get into the stream team. Leave your comments. You hear rumors, come share them. Keep us up to date on things you're seeing from the the Shams and the Fishers and the Steins and the Hanes and the Seagulls.

[Trey Kirby]

I'm flying with the flock of Seagulls. Any Slopsman whose Wilson willing to slang it in my mouth, I will take it.

[Je Skeets]

Okay, on that note. On that note, we will see you guys when we see you next. Clipper Bros. Let me find. There he is.

[Trey Kirby]

You heard it here first. Have a great time. Turn up.

[Je Skeets]

Love you guys.

[Trey Kirby]

Awesome.

[Taz Melas]

Thanks for joining us. And remember, it's not Pat McCaffey. It's not Path McAfee. It's Pat McAfee.

[Je Skeets]

Brace the day people.

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[Bowen Yang]

Seems like just yesterday that the Two Guys Five Rings podcast was in Paris for the Olympics. And now we're heading to Milan for the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympic Winter Games. I'm Bowen Yang. And I'm Matt Rogers and Will joined athletes from 93 countries as Two Guys.

[Je Skeets]

Five Rings hits the Italian Alps for.

[Bowen Yang]

The 2026 Milan Cortina Olympic Winter Games. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Did we mention it's free? Search Two Guys Five Rings and listen now.

[Jay Shetty]

Hey, I'm Jay Shetty, host of the On Purpose podcast. On a recent episode I sat down with Nick Jonas, singer, songwriter, actor and global superstar.

[Nick Jonas]

I went blank. I hit a bad note then I couldn't kind of recover and I had built up this ide that music and being a musician was my whole identity. I had to sort of relearn who I was. If you took this thing away, who am I?

[Jay Shetty]

Listen to On Purpose with Jay Shetty on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts stigats here.

[Stugots]

I have a podcast empire that I have brought here to iheart and I'm also hosting a daily live radio show from 3 to 5pm Eastern cult, which is available in podcast form right when the show finishes every single day. You can expect a lot of laughter, great guests, a ton of calls and a lot of fun. Listen to Stugats Co. Live and our original podcast, Stugatson Co. And God bless Football. And you can check all of those out on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast or wherever you get your podcast.

[Bowen Yang]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Taz Melas]

Guaranteed Human.