Wizards make Anthony Davis realization Mavericks fans knew before he even arrived

The Wizards' decision to trade for Anthony Davis signals what Dallas Mavericks fans already knew about the 32-year-old, and it's that he's most impactful at center. Washington's No. 2 pick in the 2024 draft, Alex Sarr, will slide to power forward, with AD taking over at the five.

NBA insider Jake Fischer reported after the trade that the Wizards had been calling teams inquiring about big men, including Domantas Sabonis. It's not because they didn't see Sarr as part of their future, although there was some confusion right after Shams Charania reported the AD trade.

Last week, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported that Washington viewed Sarr as its "center of the future." He added that the Wizards "weren't inclined to trade for Sabonis at this time," leading fans to think that Sarr would stay put at the five.

It turns out their front office had a trick up their sleeve, going after Davis, allowing Sarr to take over the four, a switch that will benefit them on both ends.

Wizards plan for Anthony Davis to be their starting center

Davis played in only 20 games this season for the Mavericks, and per NBA.com, the lineup that featured him the most was him at center. The sample size is small (an average of 6.5 minutes across 11 games), but during that span, Dallas shot 52.3% from three. He helps the spacing when he's at the five.

Of course, that's not what the Wizards are solely focused on, as the lineups with Sarr and Davis will be a force to be reckoned with on the defensive end.

Sarr, who is only 20, was Washington's defensive anchor, averaging 2.1 blocks per game. Now, he'll get to play alongside one of the top defensive big men in the league. Well, it will still be a while before that happens, as AD will be out for at least a few more weeks with his hand injury.

Speaking of injuries, the Wizards didn't need a couple of their big men to get injured to realize that Davis should play center, which is what happened to the Mavericks. Washington already had that figured out, hence why it made the trade in the first place.

Rolling out a starting lineup with Sarr at the four and Davis at the five, whenever that happens, will make the Wizards fun to watch, and that's not including what it will be like to watch the Young-AD pick-and-roll duo. Washington actually might have something going on, but as Dallas also knows, you can't count on Davis to stay on the floor.