NBA Player News

After playing in the team’s first 78 games, Sexton will miss a third straight, and managers should expect him to remain sidelined for the finale on Sunday. Talen Horton-Tucker and Johnny Juzang will continue to take on extra minutes, with the latter starting in the backcourt.

Bagley has been a solid backup center for Washington this season, which includes some productive outings as a starter. With Dallas, he could be productive down the stretch of this season. He isn’t a long-term solution at center, but he will be part of the rotation along with Daniel Gafford, Moussa Cisse and Dwight Powell. Bagley is arguably the best offensive big in that group, so he should be able to carve out a place in the rotation and could spend time as a starter, given Gafford’s injury frequency.

Branham has been a volume scorer through the first four seasons of his career, which has led to some productive nights. However, he hasn’t been able to carve out a sustained role. He’ll get the chance in Dallas, and he could be a strong option during silly season. He’s only 22 years old, so there is still some upside here, but it is unlikely that he ends up as a long-term guard option for the Mavs.

The 2024 first-round pick was traded to Washington during his rookie year after being drafted by Milwaukee. He’ll be on the move once again and try to make things work in Dallas. The Mavs seem to be shifting towards a tank for this season, so Johnson could play big minutes down the stretch of this year, which could lead to some fun production during silly season.

Middleton has had a solid season in Washington, and he will now get a fresh start in Dallas. Just like with the Wizards, Middleton’s availability for the rest of the season will be spotty, though he should be relatively effective when available. He’ll be part of the wing rotation, which means he’ll take away minutes from Caleb Martin, Max Christie and Klay Thompson. It’s unclear if he’ll start or come off the bench, but the minutes should be similar regardless.

Exum was ruled out for the rest of the season in November, and he’s on an expiring deal. Exum was included to make the deal work, but he may not ever suit up for Washington. He’ll enter free agency next summer.

SGA was able to play in OKC’s win over the Magic on Tuesday, but he’ll now miss at least five more games entering the break. OKC has the best record in the league, but they’ve faced a ton of injuries already this season. The added rest will be good for SGA in the long run. Ajay Mitchell (abdominal) should start when he returns, but there will be plenty of minutes and usage for everyone available, including the recently-acquired Jared McCain.

McCain got off to an incredibly hot start to his rookie season, but a season-ending injury, followed by an injury that delayed his start to this year, left McCain on the outskirts of a deep backcourt rotation in Philadelphia. He’s clearly talented, but he had to spend time in the G League this season and hasn’t been able to find the same magic that he had at the beginning of his rookie year. He’ll get a fresh start with the defending champs, which will be another tough rotation to crack. However, he’s talented enough to make this investment worth it for OKC.

Russell has been out of the rotation for most of the season in Dallas, and now he’ll join the rebuilding Wizards. It is unlikely that he is given any meaningful minutes, unless the Wizards feel he isn’t going to help them win too many games. Russell could certainly be a buyout candidate, which may be the only path for him to make an impact this season.

Hardy has been an electric scorer at time since he was drafted in the second round in 2022. He’ll now get a fresh start on a rebuilding team in Washington, and he could get a chance to play big minutes down the stretch of this season. However, he likely isn’t part of the Wizards’ plans for the future, so he may not find a long-term home in Washington.

The firsts include the Thunder pick in 2026 and a protected Warriors pick in 2030. Davis is set to be re-evaluated in late February, but managers shouldn’t expect to see him play much down the stretch as the Wizards look to improve their lottery odds. However, Davis joins Trae Young and a talented young core in Washington, and they should add another top pick this summer. Davis will form an elite defensive tandem down low with Alex Sarr that should allow Washington to return to the postseason as early as 2027, assuming they plan to keep him around.