Washington Wizards send a message that Anthony Davis remains part of the new plan around Trae Young and AJ Dybantsa
The Washington Wizards are trying to calm speculation about a possible departure of Anthony Davis at a moment when the franchise from the American capital has made two moves that significantly change its sporting direction. After, according to the NBA league's official announcement, Washington selected AJ Dybantsa as the first overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, and NBA.com reported that Trae Young had agreed with the club on a new four-year contract worth approximately 212 million dollars, the question of Davis's future became the central topic around the Wizards. General manager Will Dawkins said that Davis wants to stay in Washington and that the club wants to keep the 10-time All-Star, Bleacher Report reported, referring to Dawkins's appearance on ESPN after the end of the draft. According to the same statement, more concrete talks about continuing the cooperation are expected in mid-August, when the club and the player, in Dawkins's words, will be able to officially hold them. Such a message comes at a sensitive moment for the Wizards, because the team is trying to move from a long rebuilding phase into a period in which a faster return to relevance in the Eastern Conference is expected.
Davis's status is especially important because Washington no longer looks like a team that is merely collecting young players and future draft picks. The club is now trying to shape a more competitive core in which Young should lead the offense, Dybantsa become the long-term face of the franchise, and Davis provide elite defensive and interior quality if he is healthy. NBA.com states that the Wizards finished the 2025/26 season with a 17-65 record, that they have not appeared in the playoffs since the 2020/21 season, and that they have not had a winning season since 2017/18. Because of that background, Davis's departure, only a few months after he was brought in through a major trade, would represent a major turn away from the direction the club is publicly communicating. At this moment, according to the available information, the opposite message is coming from Washington: Davis is not imagined as a short-term episode, but as one of the veterans around whom the team's return to the fight for the playoffs can be accelerated.
Dawkins tries to close the space for rumors
Dawkins's statement does not mean that a new contract has already been agreed, nor that all financial and sporting risks can be ignored. It does, however, show that the Wizards want to avoid the impression of instability immediately after the draft and after the agreement with Young. According to Bleacher Report, Dawkins said that Davis wants to be in Washington and that the club also wants to keep him there, which is the clearest public signal from management after rumors emerged about a possible new transfer. In professional sports, such statements do not completely close the market, but they determine the club's starting position in conversations with the player, agents, and potentially interested teams. For Washington, it is important in that context not to leave the impression that Davis is merely an asset for another trade, because that could weaken the broader message about the plan being built around Young and Dybantsa.
Davis arrived in Washington in February 2026 in a major trade with the Dallas Mavericks. According to the Wizards' official announcement, the club then received Davis, Jaden Hardy, D'Angelo Russell, and Dante Exum, while Khris Middleton, Marvin Bagley III, AJ Johnson, a 2026 first-round pick via Oklahoma City, a protected 2030 first-round pick via Golden State, and three second-round picks went in the opposite direction, while Malaki Branham ended up with the Charlotte Hornets in the same deal. Such a package shows that Washington did not enter the deal as a passing episode, but as a significant investment in an experienced player of the highest level. Davis's value does not come only from his name, but from the profile of a player who can change a team's defensive geometry, protect the rim, play several positions in the frontcourt, and relieve younger players in high-intensity games.
Contract and health remain the biggest questions
The biggest reservation regarding Davis remains the combination of contract, age, and health history. According to Spotrac data, Davis is under the current maximum veteran extension that he originally signed with the Los Angeles Lakers, with a total value of 175,369,698 dollars, with a salary of 54,126,450 dollars in the 2025/26 season and 58,456,566 dollars in the 2026/27 season. Spotrac also states that for the 2027/28 season he has a player option worth 62,786,682 dollars and that, if nothing changes, he could become an unrestricted free agent in 2028. Because of that, potential talks in August are not only a matter of the wishes of the player and the club, but also a question of how much long-term risk Washington wants to take on while simultaneously trying to financially maintain the core around Young, Dybantsa, and the other young players. In an NBA environment in which the new collective rules strongly punish overly expensive rosters, every decision about a veteran contract has consequences for roster flexibility.
The health part of the story is no less important. At the time of the trade, NBA.com stated that Davis was recording 20.4 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game in the 2025/26 season over 20 appearances, which confirms that he is still productive when he is on the court. ClutchPoints, referring to the context of the season, reported that injuries limited him and that, because of a groin problem and later a hand injury, he did not make his debut for the Wizards after arriving from Dallas. That is the key reason why extension negotiations, if they take place, would have to be carefully structured. Washington is not deciding only about a player who can lift the defense and provide offensive security in the paint, but also about a player entering his mid-thirties with a major financial effect on future seasons.
Young's contract changes the tone of the whole project
The agreement with Trae Young has already changed the way the Wizards are viewed. NBA.com reported on June 22 that Young had agreed to a four-year contract worth approximately 212 million dollars, with a player option in the fourth year, after declining an option for the 2026/27 season worth about 49 million dollars. The same source recalled that Young arrived in Washington in January from the Atlanta Hawks, that he played only five games for the Wizards last season, and that he has career averages of 25.1 points and 9.8 assists. With that, Washington is taking on a clear offensive identity: in key phases, the ball will be in the hands of a point guard who can create shots for himself and others, create pressure from the pick-and-roll, and increase the efficiency of big men. For Davis, that is especially important because a healthy Young can increase the number of easier finishes around the rim and open space for short-roll play, which is one way in which a veteran big man can be preserved through a long season.
At the same time, Young's contract increases the pressure on management to quickly build a functional team around him. If the club is ready to invest an almost maximum amount in a point guard who has only just arrived and played very little last season, it is difficult to simultaneously claim that the next phase is still only a patient rebuild. Washington is now sending a message that it wants to accelerate, and Davis is one of the few players on the roster who can immediately provide a quality that cannot easily be found on the market. That does not mean the Wizards will become a title contender overnight, but it does mean their 2026/27 season will be measured by different standards than previous ones. In that framework, Davis staying is not an isolated personnel decision, but a test of the credibility of the entire plan.
Dybantsa as the first pick gives the project a long-term axis
The biggest new variable in Washington is AJ Dybantsa. According to NBA.com, the Wizards selected him on June 23 as the first overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft at Barclays Center in New York, ahead of Darryn Peterson, who went to the Utah Jazz, and Cameron Boozer, who was selected by Memphis. NBA.com states that Dybantsa is a 6-foot-9 wing player, that as a BYU player he averaged 25.5 points per game, and that he became the first BYU player selected as the first overall pick in NBA Draft history. Dybantsa told NBA.com that entering the league had been his dream since childhood and that he cannot wait to start working, while also emphasizing that he sees himself playing with Young because he considers him an excellent point guard. His arrival changes the balance of power inside the club because the Wizards now have a young player around whom they can build a long-term identity, but also veterans who should accelerate his adjustment.
For Davis, Dybantsa's arrival is potentially a double-edged context, but at the moment it works more in favor of him staying. On the one hand, Washington could theoretically decide that the right path around Dybantsa is even deeper youth and greater financial flexibility. On the other hand, by keeping Young, the club has already shown that it does not want to leave its new first pick in an empty environment without proven carriers of play. In such a construction, Davis can be a protective mechanism: a defensive corrector behind young perimeter players, a frontcourt partner with Alex Sarr, and a veteran whose experience can help Dybantsa avoid having to carry all the pressure of the franchise immediately. If he stays healthy, his presence could accelerate the development of the young star because Washington would have a clearer structure in both directions of play.
A rare combination of ambition and risk
The Wizards have made a series of moves in a short period that are rarely seen from teams with 17 wins. They brought in Young, took on Davis's large contract, won the first pick in the draft lottery and selected Dybantsa, and now they are publicly saying that they also want to keep the veteran center/power forward who carries significant risk because of his health. According to NBA.com, Washington won the first pick in the draft lottery in May for the fifth time in franchise history and the first time since 2010, when it selected John Wall. Such historical context further explains why the club does not want to enter the new season with a message of uncertainty around the best-known names on the roster. When a franchise, after a long period without the playoffs, gets the first pick and simultaneously has two All-Star veterans, expectations naturally rise.
Still, ambition does not remove the open questions. Young must prove that he can lead a team after a period marked by injuries and a change of environment, Dybantsa must transition from college dominance to the NBA rhythm, and Davis must show that he can be physically available often enough to justify his role and a potential extension. In addition, the coaches will have to find a balance between Young's usage of the ball, Dybantsa's development, and Davis's need for efficient touches without excessive workload. Defensively, the combination of Davis and Sarr could give Washington height and rim protection, but offensively it will be important to avoid congestion of space. That is exactly why the final decision on Davis will be more important from a sporting and financial standpoint than a simple answer to a market rumor.
August as the next decision point
Mid-August now stands out as the next important point in the story of Washington and Davis. According to Dawkins's statement reported by Bleacher Report, that is when more formal talks about continuing the cooperation should open. Until then, the club will have more time to assess medical information, the broader market picture, and the way the new roster can be built around Young, Dybantsa, Davis, and the existing young players. NBA.com states that Dybantsa's first real test in an NBA environment should come at the Las Vegas Summer League from July 9 to 19, where it will be seen more clearly for the first time how Washington is introducing its new first pick into a professional system. That phase will not decide Davis's future, but it can further shape the development plan and the minutes that the Wizards will imagine for the start of the season.
For now, the most important fact is that Washington is not publicly preparing the ground for Davis's departure. On the contrary, the general manager's message suggests that both sides see the possibility of continuing their cooperation, although there is still no official agreement on a new contract. If negotiations progress, the Wizards could enter the season with one of the more interesting combinations in the Eastern Conference: an elite point guard, the first pick of the draft, and a veteran big man who, when healthy, still affects both sides of the floor. If talks stall, the rumors will return even more strongly because Davis's contract, age, and market value do not allow prolonged uncertainty without consequences. At this moment, according to the available information, Washington's plan is not to dismantle the new core, but to try to create a stable competitive framework around it as soon as possible.
Sources:
- NBA.com – official announcement about the selection of AJ Dybantsa as the first overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft and the context of the Washington Wizards' season (link)
- NBA.com – overview of the 2026 NBA Draft, draft dates, and official context of Washington's picks (link)
- NBA.com – report on the agreement between Trae Young and the Washington Wizards on a four-year contract (link)
- Washington Wizards / NBA.com – club announcement about the arrival of Anthony Davis from the Dallas Mavericks (link)
- NBA.com – report on the trade by which Anthony Davis ended up with the Washington Wizards and the statistical context of the season (link)
- Bleacher Report – Dawkins's statement about Davis's desire to stay in Washington and the time frame of the talks (link)
- Spotrac – data on Anthony Davis's current contract, salaries, and player option (link)
- ClutchPoints – additional context on Dawkins's statement, Davis's injury, and his status after arriving in Washington (link)