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Oh No He Didn't: Darren Collison's darkhorse team in the east: "Washington Wizards. I know I sound crazy right now. Wizards are gonna surprise a lot of people in the east for this simple reason: I think Trae Young is gonna have a really good season...he has a lot to prove. I think Anthony Davis, his ability to protect the paint and be that force down low is gonna take a lot of pressure off of AJ just to be the guy. AJ doesn't have to be the guy, AJ is gonna be an added asset...they have a lot of other players...they have depth. And I always feel that the teams with the most depth have the most success. So they have youth, they have veteran leadership, and they have two guys in Trae Young and AD who have been all stars, who have played at a high level in the playoffs. So that's the team that I'm looking forward to seeing this season"
Montrezl Harrell: I don’t know what the hell Washington is doing, to be honest with you. It doesn’t make sense. They got the young kid AJ Dybantsa, but he’s at the three. You bring over Deandre Ayton, but you already drafted the young kid Alex Sarr. Then you have Anthony Davis, but you have another center on the bench in Tristan Vukčević. Now you have four centers because you also have Jonas Valančiūnas. Your only backup to Anthony Davis right now is Anthony Gill, and then you have Trae Young with no legitimate two-guard playing. It looks like a disaster. Their starting five is Trae Young, Khris Middleton, AJ Dybantsa, Anthony Davis and Deandre Ayton. But when you look at that bench, you can beat them with that every night. It’s going to be something where the coach is going to have to coach that team. There is a lot of uncertainty down there. I don’t see them being in any serious conversation in the East. Maybe they can get into a play-in situation, but I don’t see them being a crazy East contender. I just don’t know what their team identity is.
Ohm Youngmisuk: The Wizards and Anthony Davis mutually decided to wait on talks on a potential extension until after the season starts, but depending how the season begins for Washington, the big man might seek a trade. But if he is healthy and comes back looking like the dominant player he has shown he can be, Washington could make noise in the Eastern Conference.
The Wizards have a lot of storylines this upcoming season. It's Dybantsa. It's Young coming off an injury and a massive new contract. It's the development of 2025 lottery pick Tre Johnson. But the experts are watching Anthony Davis. "It all comes down to him," a Western Conference executive said. "He's going to be playing for a contract or maybe playing to get traded. He's a game changer."
Back in the summer of 2024, Thompson’s representatives had discussions with the Lakers about him winding up there. It would have made sense on several levels. Thompson has deep ties to Los Angeles. He spent much of his childhood in the city and still owns a home there. But one of the reasons Thompson chose the Mavericks over the Lakers was that he had concerns about Davis’ availability, a source with knowledge of his thinking said.
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Shams Charania: Sources tell me that the Wizards and Anthony Davis have mutually decided to table potential contract extension talks and revisit it and wait until they're into the regular season for that and see where the team is at. And one source described it to me as essentially an ability for both sides to allow the first twenty games or so to marinate and allow both sides to get to a decision on whether there will be a contract extension or not. Anthony Davis is eligible for a deal for years, up to two hundred and seventy five million dollars, but there are unanswered questions for both sides.
The decision to revisit extension talks between the Wizards and Paul, CEO of Klutch Sports Group, until after the first quarter of the season allows Davis to see what the Washington organization is like, get a better idea of how competitive the team is going to be, gauge the Wizards' ability to add talent and see more of their plan for the future. The extra time also allows the Wizards to see how Davis performs, how his and the team's health is, and if this roster is able to make the jump they expect to take this season after the first chunk of the year.
Today’s eligibility date, the third anniversary of Anthony Davis signing an extension with the Los Angeles Lakers, is a bit of a red herring, though. League sources who were granted anonymity to speak freely told The Athletic that any meaningful talks between Davis and the Wizards about a possible extension will occur during the 2026-27 season, not before.
Anthony Davis and his agent, Rich Paul, have a history of seeking maximum-salary contract extensions. In 2023, with two full seasons remaining on Davis’ Lakers contract, Davis and the Lakers agreed on a three-year, $175 million extension that includes a $62.8 million player option for the 2027-28 season. If Davis proactively declines that player option, a maximum contract extension between Davis and the Wizards would be worth $275 million over four years and would run through the 2030-31 season. Davis will turn 37 years old in March of the 2030-31 season.
Anthony Davis: 🧢 Legion Hoops: Lionel Hollins on why LeBron James and Anthony Davis rarely worked out together: “LeBron told him ‘you’ve got to get up a little earlier to come work out with me.’”
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So LeBron chose the 76ers, and the Warriors are left to wonder what might have been. Should they have tried to trade Jimmy Butler and draft picks for Anthony Davis? At summer league in Las Vegas, a small contingent of Golden State’s front office pushed for that path, but AD’s injury history and desire for a new extension ultimately convinced team brass to stay put.
But that’s all this is: speculation. The Warriors have not engaged the Wizards and the sides haven’t had substantive talks about Anthony Davis, according to a source with knowledge of the Warriors’ offseason direction. Wizards general manager Will Dawkins has also sought to shut down trade rumors in public interviews.
