Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis (3) drives to the basket while guarded by Utah Jazz forward Cody Williams (5) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Tyler Tate)

DALLAS — The Washington Wizards are acquiring Anthony Davis in an eight-player trade with the Mavericks that includes draft picks for Dallas, a person with knowledge of the deal said Wednesday.

The move is a signal the Mavericks are moving on from the widely criticized trade that sent superstar Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for a package headlined by Davis last year.

Former general manager Nico Harrison, who was fired by Dallas in November, engineered the middle-of-the-night deal that angered fans. Trade speculation had surrounded Davis ever since Harrison was let go following a slow start to the season.

The Wizards are sending Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson, Malaki Branham and Marvin Bagley III to the Mavericks along with two first-round draft picks and three second-rounders, according to the person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal had yet to be approved by the NBA.

Washington is getting three guards from Dallas in Jaden Hardy, D’Angelo Russell and Dante Exum.

The Wizards have made a stark shift recently from their rebuild after losing 67 and 64 games the past two seasons. Washington traded for Trae Young last month and now adds Davis to a group of young players that includes big man Alex Sarr, the No. 2 pick in 2024.

It’s not clear if Young or Davis will play much this season, which could be for the best since the Wizards lose their top draft pick this year if it falls outside No. 8.

Harrison’s Doncic-for-Davis deal was so heavily criticized because he took on the big man with an extensive history while giving up a generational talent in his prime. Doncic was 25 at the time of the trade.

As might have been expected, Davis appeared in just 31 of a possible 84 games over two partial seasons with the Mavericks. His ailments included a core muscle issue and a calf strain before Davis injured his hand while defending a driving Lauri Markkanen of Utah last month.

The trade is a big step for Dallas toward making Cooper Flagg the next face of the franchise after Doncic. The rookie No. 1 pick set an NBA scoring record for a teenager with 49 points against Charlotte last week, and the 19-year-old is on a three-game streak of 30-point games, another league first for the under-20 group. Flagg doesn’t turn 20 until next season.

76ers send fMcCain to Thunder, AP source says

PHILADELPHIA — The defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder have acquired Jared McCain from the Philadelphia 76ers for a 2026 Houston Rockets first-round draft pick and three second-round picks, a person with knowledge of the trade said Wednesday.

The Sixers will receive the most-favorable second-round pick in 2027 from Oklahoma City, Houston, Indiana or Miami; one from Milwaukee in 2028 and another from the Thunder in 2028, said the person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the trade has not yet been made official.

The 21-year-old McCain was considered a bright piece of the Sixers’ future after they made him the 16th overall pick in the 2024 draft.

But McCain averaged only 6.6 points in 37 games this season. He goes to a Thunder team reeling from the loss of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to an abdominal strain expected to sideline him until after the All-Star break.

Harden to Cavs, Garland to Clippers, AP source says

James Harden is headed to the Cleveland Cavaliers, with the Los Angeles Clippers agreeing to send the 11-time All-Star back to the Eastern Conference during his highest-scoring season in six years, a person with knowledge of the agreement said Tuesday night.

ESPN was first to report the deal was finalized.

The Cavaliers are giving up point guard Darius Garland and a second-round pick, said the person, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the trade has not yet been approved by the NBA.

That approval could come by Wednesday, when the Cavaliers and Clippers face off in Inglewood, California.

Harden is averaging 25.4 points this season, his most since averaging 34.3 points in 2019-20. He’s been a huge part of the Clippers’ resurgence back into playoff — or, at least, play-in — contention after a dismal 6-21 start.

“He means a lot to our team and we’ve seen it the last three years,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said Monday night when stories began breaking indicating such a move was close. “Who wouldn’t want to have James Harden?”

Cleveland will become Harden’s sixth team. He played for Oklahoma City, then Houston, then Brooklyn, then Philadelphia and, since 2023, the Clippers.

For the Cavaliers, it seems to be a move for right now — pairing the 36-year-old Harden with another star guard in Donovan Mitchell. For the Clippers, it seems to be a move with an eye on the future — the 26-year-old Garland is a two-time All-Star, averaging 18 points and 6.9 assists this season for Cleveland.

Harden opted out of the final year of his contract last summer with the Clippers to sign a new deal that would have been worth $81.5 million for this season and the 2026-27 campaign. Next year is at his option, which basically meant he was on a one-year contract anyway.

He got that deal after averaging 22.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 8.7 assists and returning to the All-NBA team for the first time since 2019-20.