Anthony Davis is the No. 1 pick magic touch from Pelicans to Lakers to Mavs to Wizards

Anthony Davis himself was a No. 1 overall pick, and now it feels like he's been connected to first overall picks at every stop -- he pretty much has.

All three times that AD has been traded, one of the teams involved in the deals has then earned the top pick that year. That includes the Pelicans to Lakers, the Lakers to Mavericks and then the Mavs to Wizards this year.

The run was kept going when the Wizards drew the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft lottery on Sunday.

So let's go back and track this a bit.

Davis began his career in New Orleans, which had made him the top pick out of Kentucky after a one-and-done college career that ended in a national championship.

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When Davis worked his way out of New Orleans and was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, it was the same year that the Pelicans got Zion Williamson out of Duke. This is the least conspiratorial of the three, because Davis wasn't traded until after the Pelicans already knew they had the top spot.

Then there was just last year, when the Mavs traded for Davis in the crazy Luka Doncic deal.

That time, things worked backwards, with the team that acquired Davis ending up winning the lottery, and in this case the Mavs drafted Cooper Flagg, again out of Duke. 

The Flagg pick started the Mavs on a path toward trading Davis away, and they sent him to the Wizards earlier this season.

Now, the Wizards have won the lottery.

Will they make it a Duke hat trick with Cameron Boozer? Maybe not, but it's certainly a possibility.

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