Anthony Davis is saying the right things about Washington, but that hasn’t been enough to quiet the trade chatter.
Davis has made it clear he’s excited to join the Wizards and has praised the balance of their roster. Washington, for its part, pushed back on the offseason buzz and signaled it wanted to keep the veteran forward, who is expected to matter a lot in helping bring along the team’s younger players.
Still, the rumor mill doesn’t look ready to stop spinning. The Athletic’s David Aldridge and Josh Robbins wrote that the 33-year-old Davis is likely to keep surfacing in trade conversations as the season unfolds.
“Davis' agent, Rich Paul, is one of the game’s most powerful player representatives, and he has proven skilled at securing the deals his high-profile clients want, in the cities where they want to be,” wrote Aldridge and Robbins.
“There's little doubt that Paul already has gamed out other teams' interest in Davis and will continue to do so as February’s trade deadline approaches.”
Paul’s influence in Davis’ career is no small thing, either. He also played a major role in getting Davis to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2019.
Davis, a 10-time All-Star, has not played for Washington yet since the team acquired him from the Dallas Mavericks in a February trade. He is coming off a stretch of injuries, and last season he appeared in only 20 games for Dallas, putting up 20.4 points, 11.1 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 1.7 blocks per game.
There’s no denying Davis’ impact when he’s healthy. He remains one of the league’s most gifted two-way players, and if he can stay on the floor, Washington could emerge as a dark horse in the Eastern Conference with him, Trae Young, AJ Dybantsa, Alex Sarr, Tre Johnson and Khris Middleton forming the core.
Even so, the offseason interest was real. The Golden State Warriors, Atlanta Hawks, Detroit Pistons and Toronto Raptors were all reportedly in the mix for Davis.
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The bigger concern is what that fit looks like when the ball is moving and the floor is packed. Washingtons shooting profile leaves some room for doubt, and the preseason has made clear that spacing is going to be a central issue if the offense is going to open up for Dybantsa and the rest of the core. The Wizards need their young talent to find cleaner driving lanes and easier decisions, and that puts a premium on which players can punish defenses from outside and keep the half-court from bogging down. [Read more 🡒]
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What makes this situation so tricky is that the real conversation is likely to wait until after the season, when both sides can better judge where things stand. If Davis plays well and stays healthy, the Wizards will still have a major decision to make about whether to meet his price or pivot elsewhere, and every step of the season will only sharpen the pressure around that choice. [Read more 🡒]
Wizards Fans May Need Patience With AJ Dybantsa After This Rookie Warning
Preseason always has a way of humbling even the most celebrated rookies, and this years opening slate offered a reminder of how messy the first steps can be. Around the league, young players like Darryn Peterson and Keaton Wagler had uneven debuts, the kind of nights that can look alarming in a box score but are really part of the learning curve for anyone adjusting to NBA speed, size and defensive pressure.
For Washington, that context matters with AJ Dybantsa, because the Wizards are banking on more than just scoring to make his arrival meaningful. Even before his offense fully catches up, he has the tools to help right away with defense, paint pressure, ball-handling and leadership, which is why the early rookie growing pains elsewhere should serve more as a warning against impatience than a reason to doubt his fit. [Read more 🡒]