The Houston Rockets saw their 2025-26 NBA season end in extremely disappointing fashion after they were eliminated by the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs. The Lakers were without Luka Doncic for the entire series and without Austin Reaves for the first four games, but the Rockets still couldn’t make their first second-round appearance since the 2020 NBA Playoffs.
While Kevin Durant missed five of the six games in the series, his sole appearance was also a loss for the Rockets. His absence doesn’t explain how the Rockets failed to beat a Lakers squad that wound up getting swept by the OKC Thunder without Doncic in the second round. The disappointing performances from players like franchise center Alperen Sengun have opened up conversations about a potential change in Houston before the start of next season.
If the Rockets were to go deeper into their win-now efforts, the franchise could discuss a potential blockbuster acquisition of Anthony Davis from the Washington Wizards. While Davis is yet to play a game in Washington since joining in February, there have been rumors about him being moved before the start of the 2026-27 season.
A Sengun for Davis swap without additional draft compensation would make sense for both franchises for a variety of reasons.
Houston Rockets Receive: Anthony Davis, Justin Champagnie
Washington Wizards Receive: Alperen Sengun, Dorian Finney-Smith
Rockets Go All-In On Defense And Find A New Offensive Engine
Nikola Jokic showed how dangerous a seven-footer who can playmake and shoot the ball at the highest level can be. In his five seasons in the NBA, Sengun ($35,642,202) has not proved himself to be of that high a caliber. Many would argue that Sengun hasn’t even had a season better than the All-Star seasons we’ve seen from Domantas Sabonis.
The Rockets have developed Sengun into a modern All-Star big, but his performances last season proved that he might be miscast as the primary offensive option on the Rockets, although his style of play requires him to have the ball to be effective.
With Amen Thompson’s playmaking leap, Reed Sheppard’s presence at guard, and the return of Fred VanVleet, the Rockets will have enough offensive orchestrators. They could even make another trade to acquire a more established guard, although that’s unlikely since they waited an entire season for VanVleet to return. That’s their offensive engine, not awkward mid-post plays created by Sengun.
Anthony Davis ($58,456,566) would be a more appealing option as an equally competent mid-range and inside scorer while being a much-better roller in pick-and-roll situations and also being one of the best interior defenders in the NBA.
Davis is injury-prone and averaged 20.4 points, 11.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.7 blocks in just 20 appearances for the Mavericks last season before getting traded. He was essentially salary-dumped for matching contracts by the Mavericks, but that was also a hasty trade to move off the biggest reminder of the failed Luka Doncic trade made by a now-fired GM. The Rockets can acquire him without paying a Texas-based premium by negotiating with the Wizards.
As an added benefit, Justin Champagnie ($2,667,944) averaged 8.7 points and 5.6 rebounds last season. He’d be perfect in Houston’s wing rotation, with his high-value production for his contract likely meaning the Rockets don’t have to forcefully play Jae’Sean Tate in important Playoff minutes again, since Champagnie can replicate that style while being a far more productive player.
The Wizards Create A Monster Frontcourt To Return To Contention
Everyone appreciates the Wizards’ attempt at ensuring they’re not tanking next season when they acquired Trae Young and Davis. That dream can stay alive if they swap Davis out for Sengun, and the team might even be better for it. Instead of playing Davis as a power forward next to Alex Sarr, the Wizards can move Sarr to the four and use Sengun as their full-time center, who averaged 20.4 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 6.2 assists last season with the Rockets last season.
Sengun is still just 23 years old and could complete his developmental arc into a Jokic-Sabonis hybrid with his skillset. Sarr is a better shooter and rim protector, so Sengun’s biggest weakness is covered up by his frontcourt partner. This is a more sustainable duo than Sarr and Davis because the two have a similar play style that could step on each other’s toes. Sengun and Sarr are a much cleaner on-court fit, and Sengun’s lower salary gives the Wizards room to extend Young and potentially Bilal Coulibaly.
Dorian Finney-Smith ($13,335,000) would be a great veteran addition to the Wizards frontcourt, although he’s coming off a tough season in Houston, where he averaged 3.3 points and 2.5 rebounds. The Wizards do have passing guards like Young and Bub Carrington, who will be able to maximize Finney-Smith’s strengths as a catch-and-shoot three-point shooter. He’s also a strong on-ball defensive option, something the Wizards will need behind Young and Sengun.
Conclusion
Sengun matches the Wizards timeline much better than Davis, while Davis matches Houston’s timeline with Kevin Durant better than Sengun could. This deal allows the Rockets to retain future assets by making a risky trade where they trade an All-Star with room to grow for a proven All-NBA player who might be regressing. But for the next two seasons, Davis could show the form he did in his last two seasons with the Lakers and help the Rockets win a championship with Durant as their No. 1 option.
Adding Davis alone won’t solve the half-court struggles we saw the Rockets have in the Playoffs, but it does give them another late-game option they can rely on. At the bare minimum, it gives them an elite pick-and-roll option alongside VanVleet to rely on at the end of games. With Thompson and Durant’s already proven pick-and-pop partnership, the Rockets’ offense adds another contributor in Davis, who will provide a static level of high-level play, especially on defense.
The Rockets have engineered a ruthless defense at every spot on the court except center, where they rely on options like Steven Adams and Clint Capela. Instead of that, they can just rely on Davis with Jabari Smith Jr. as the forward next to him. Davis could even thrive in lineups with Adams and Capela, so the Rockets make a tangible improvement while the Wizards make their roster fit better with each other while betting on Sengun developing into the franchise centerpiece many assumed he’d be for Houston.
