Johnny Davis, at Long Last, Saves the Wizards

Among all of the swaps various NBA teams made at this most recent trade deadline, Washington pulled off one of the sneakier maneuvers.

Johnny Davis, Marvin Bagley III and a 2025 second-round pick each make for low-level trade assets on their own, but together, they were enough to get involved in a multiple team trade that brought back Marcus Smart from the Grizzlies and Memphis' lottery-protected first-round pick for this upcoming draft.

The long wait to see whether the protection would vanish or convert wasn't easy or comfortable, with the Grizzlies spending their post-deadline leg of the season embarking in a tailspin for the ages. The fringe contenders fell from second in the Western Conference standings all the way into Play-In Tournament territory in time for the regular season to conclude.

They blew a tight one to the Golden State Warriors to fall into the tournament's final elimination game, eventually holding off the Dallas Mavericks for the conference's final playoff spot. That clinching victory ensured that the pick will stay outside of the lottery and with the Wizards.

In a cynical way, Johnny Davis, the former top-10 pick who never came close to meeting any real expectations with the team who drafted him, ended up saving the Wizards in what will likely go down as one of the more lopsided trades of the 2020s.

Davis tried his best, enduring several hard years bouncing back and forth between the G League and fringe big league minutes during Wizards garbage time, but his fit in Washington was doomed nearly instantly.

The one-time top prospect spent consistent time towards the top of draft boards in the summer of 2022, a combo guard with go-to scoring potential, two-way upside and experience dominating the Big 10 at Wisconsin. His lottery selection made sense at the time, yet he never did end up looking comfortable doing anything for the Wizards besides the occasional dogged defensive possession.