The Washington Wizards may have waited too long to make their move on Anthony Davis, and now the market around him looks a lot less friendly.
Washington’s interest in flipping Davis for Detroit Pistons restricted free agent Jalen Duren has surfaced, but the Pistons do not appear eager to go there. According to Sam Amick and Hunter Patterson of The Athletic on Wednesday, Detroit isn’t showing much appetite for that kind of swap.
“League sources also confirmed an ESPN report indicating that the Washington Wizards would have interest in a Duren-for-Anthony Davis trade, but that scenario - like all the others - does not appear to be of interest to the Pistons,” Amick and Patterson wrote.
That leaves the Wizards in an awkward spot. Davis has not played a game for Washington since arriving from the Dallas Mavericks in February, yet the team has already signaled it wants to move on from the 33-year-old. Washington also passed on an extension with Davis this offseason, even though he was eligible.
The bigger issue is timing. If the Wizards were serious about dealing Davis, their best window may have been back in July, when the Golden State Warriors were tied up in their pursuit of LeBron James.
A more open conversation then might have produced a stronger return. Instead, by making it clear in the weeks before the season that Davis is available, Washington has likely weakened its leverage.
Golden State still looms as the team most often connected to Davis. The Warriors have been viewed as a club that might gamble on a veteran star, especially given their current middle-of-the-pack situation. They didn’t push hard in July, but a lower asking price from Washington could change that.
The fit isn’t perfect, and the risks are obvious. Kristaps Porzingis is already dealing with another health concern, leaving Golden State with uncertainty at center.
Davis would bring his own availability questions. Even so, if the Warriors want a real shot at rekindling their championship hopes, they may have to swing at another risky deal.
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