Anthony Davis enters the 2026-27 season at a crossroads, but the basketball part of the equation still looks very familiar: when he’s on the floor, he can still play like an All-Star.
That’s the bet the Washington Wizards are making after acquiring him from Dallas in February. The 33-year-old lands in Washington as one of the league’s best two-way big men, even if the bigger issue hanging over everything is the same one that has followed him for years - whether he can stay healthy long enough to matter over a full season.
That uncertainty is also why there’s a pause around the idea of a four-year contract extension.
Last season, Davis played just 20 games before a ligament injury in his left hand shut him down. In those appearances, he averaged 20.4 points, 11.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.7 blocks while shooting 50.6% from the field.
He also piled up 13 double-doubles, had three games with at least 30 points and three with at least three blocks. Those are not empty numbers, and they don’t look like the stat line of a player who’s done.
Washington is hoping there’s much more left. The Wizards are trying to build around Davis, Trae Young and No. 1 overall pick AJ Dybantsa, and Davis has already made it clear he thinks that group can turn heads. He also arrives at exactly the right time for a team that badly needs help on the defensive end.
Washington allowed 124.9 points per game last season, which ranked 29th, and posted the league’s worst defensive rating at 122.7. They also finished second-worst in defensive rebounding percentage. That’s a rough setup for just about any roster - and a perfect one for Davis if he’s healthy.
If he is, another All-Star season is absolutely on the table.
Davis does not need to carry a 28-point burden to get there. His impact comes from the whole package: rim protection, switching onto smaller players, rebounding, finishing around the basket and giving an offense a reliable secondary option. Put him next to Trae Young, who can create shots for everybody, and Dybantsa, who arrives after averaging 25.5 points at BYU as a freshman, and Davis should find plenty of clean looks.
That setup could also make him more efficient. The Wizards do not need him forcing offense every trip. They need him to pick his spots and punish defenses when they overload on Young or Dybantsa.
There’s also a real defensive upside here beyond just Davis’ individual numbers. Washington has Alex Sarr alongside him, giving the Wizards two huge frontcourt players who can protect the rim.
That should let Davis do what he’s always done best without having to absorb every tough matchup for 35 minutes a night. The coaching staff has made defense its top priority, and Davis himself said Washington should be a top-10 defensive team.
That kind of role fits him.
It also gives him a chance to be the defensive anchor again on a team that desperately needs one. If Davis helps turn Washington into a respectable defense while putting up something like 22 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks a night, the All-Star case becomes hard to ignore.
But all of that sits behind the same central question: availability.
At 33, the margin for error is shrinking. Davis already has a Hall of Fame resume - 10-time All-Star, NBA champion, three-time blocks leader and a member of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team.
Nobody needs him to prove he was great. What matters now is whether 2026-27 Anthony Davis can stay on the floor, remain productive and give Washington something close to a full season.
He has a player option worth $62.8 million for 2027-28, and if he declines it, he can become an unrestricted free agent. He has also said he will decide his future after the season, which gives this year real weight for both him and the Wizards.
The talent is still there. The fit looks better than it has in a while. And if Davis can give Washington 65-plus games, strong defense and around 22 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks per night, another All-Star push feels very realistic.
If the injuries hit again, though, the conversation changes fast.
In Other News...
Anthony Davis Faces Another Uncertain Turn After His Lakers Exit
Anthony Davis latest stop has already become one of the leagues more uneasy storylines, with the veteran big man landing in Washington after a whirlwind stretch that sent him from the Lakers to Dallas and then to the Wizards. The move gave the Wizards a marquee name to watch and a proven star to plug into their long-term picture, but Davis has also spent parts of the season speaking openly about his physical condition and the challenges that have come with it.
Now the situation is drifting toward another crossroads, with Davis reportedly not eager to make Washington his long-term home. His agent, Rich Paul, is said to be working through possible trade paths as the deadline approaches, leaving the Wizards with a familiar kind of uncertainty around a high-profile player whose next step could reshape the roster again. [Read more 🡒]
Tre Mann Is Giving The Wizards Exactly What This Backcourt Needs
Tre Mann has given the Wizards something their backcourt has been looking for since acquiring him: a blend of experience, energy and usable skill that fits cleanly into the guard mix. In a rotation that already includes Trae Young and Bub Carrington, Manns ability to slide into different spots gives Washington more depth and a little more versatility, which matters for a team trying to sort out its guard balance on the fly.
What has also stood out is the way Mann has approached the move. He has made it clear he is comfortable playing a team-first role, and Brian Keefe has noticed that willingness to fit into whatever the group needs. For a Wizards backcourt still taking shape, that kind of buy-in can be just as valuable as the minutes themselves, especially with how much room there is for the rotation to shift from night to night. [Read more 🡒]
Bucks May Be Drifting Toward A Reset Fans Never Expected
Preseason roundtables often turn into roadmap sessions for the rest of the league, and the latest one had a particularly interesting thread for Washington readers to follow. The conversation around trade scenarios and roster directions touched on a name the Wizards know well from years of staring at big-market possibilities, with the focus shifting to how a team can handle an expensive, high-profile frontcourt piece if the season starts heading sideways.
For Washington, the real takeaway is the familiar one: when a franchise drifts toward a reset, the ripple effects show up everywhere, from the top of the roster down to the deadline market. The discussion pointed to a potential path where the player stays put for now, but the pressure would only build if the early plan does not hold and a midseason decision becomes unavoidable. [Read more 🡒]