The Washington Wizards made their move for Deandre Ayton with a very specific job in mind: backup big man. That alone is enough to raise an eyebrow.
Ayton has started 463 of his 470 career NBA games, and he hasn’t come off the bench since the bubble in 2020. He’s a seven-footer with a history of wanting his own touches, and he’s on an expiring contract.
That’s a lot of baggage for a player being asked to change lanes.
Still, Ayton sounded ready for it at Media Day. Washington sent Jaden Hardy and two second-round draft picks to get him, so the team clearly sees value there. Ayton said he’s open to whatever Brian Keefe needs from him.
“The way I’m coming into the Wizards is mainly just wherever I fit in and wherever coach BK wants me. The depth we have is insane.
It is almost like being out there with two bigs is almost position-less. When it comes to this team, if my name gets called, it doesn’t matter where I am at.
I am out there with Trae Young or AD.”
He also said it “really doesn’t matter if you start or come off the bench” because of the team’s depth. That’s the posture Washington needs from him if this is going to work. If Ayton fully leans into the reserve role, he has the tools to be one of the better backup big men in the league.
The problem is that this hasn’t always been his lane.
Ayton entered the NBA as the No. 1 pick in 2018 with the Suns, but the relationship eventually fell apart. A failed rookie extension negotiation pushed him into signing an offer sheet with the Indiana Pacers.
After a failed playoff series, he was moved to the Blazers. In Portland, he started every game he played, but the fit still unraveled after two years because of his attitude and lack of accountability.
At times, he wanted to be the star instead of settling into the role in front of him.
That history matters because the Wizards are not handing him a cushy path on a contender. They’re asking him to sacrifice on a team that won 17 games last season.
Washington traded for Trae Young and Anthony Davis, but the roster still leans heavily on young talent. That’s a shaky setup, especially in an Eastern Conference where ten teams believe they should be in the playoffs and ahead of the Wizards.
It’s also a reminder that buying into a smaller role is a very different ask when winning isn’t guaranteed. On a contender, a player can at least point to team success. In Washington, Ayton has to make the adjustment without that safety net.
And there’s another layer here: money.
Ayton is playing for his next contract, whether that comes in Washington or somewhere else. He picked up his $8.1 million player option with the Lakers before the trade, and he won’t hit unrestricted free agency until the summer of 2027.
If he embraces the job, helps the Wizards win, and proves he can fit as a reserve, his market could grow. If he doesn’t, the questions around him will only get louder.
The upside is obvious. Centers don’t come cheap, and Ayton can still attract interest.
Thriving behind Anthony Davis and Alex Sarr in Washington could rebuild some of that value, and so could handling bigger minutes well when called upon. But the league has already seen the other side of the equation: stats without enough impact on winning.
Ayton said the right things on Media Day. That part is easy.
The harder part is carrying it onto the floor. For the Wizards, the ask is simple: be the backup, buy in, and stay there.
If he does that, he could be exactly what they need. If not, the skepticism will keep hanging over him.
In Other News...
Wizards Still Lurking In A Major Jalen Duren Opportunity
The market around Jalen Duren has turned into one of the more intriguing front-office watch items of the offseason, and Washington is among the teams keeping tabs. Duren has not been in communication with Pistons president Trajan Langdon for several months, and he has already turned down Detroits five-year, $200 million offer, setting up a situation that has drawn interest from multiple teams looking for a possible path in.
For the Wizards, the appeal is obvious: a young big man with upside would fit their broader timeline if Detroit ever became willing to engage. But the Pistons have so far shut down sign-and-trade ideas and continue to act as though they want to keep Duren, which leaves Washington in the same holding pattern as the rest of the interested suitors while the situation stays unresolved. [Read more 🡒]
Anthony Davis Could Shape How Fast The Wizards Grow Up
Anthony Davis has become one of the more intriguing voices in the Wizards rebuild, not just because of what he can still do on the floor, but because of what he knows about arriving with sky-high expectations. As a former top draft pick himself, Davis understands the pressure young players face, and he has taken a close interest in the way rookies approach the grind of getting better. That perspective matters in Washington, where the next wave of talent is expected to play a major part in how quickly the roster matures.
One of the names Davis has kept in that conversation is AJ Dybantsa, whom he has spent time mentoring and who is expected to have a meaningful role alongside the Wizards other recent first-round picks. Davis has also pointed to the similarities between Dybantsa and Cooper Flagg, especially in the way both players embrace learning and improvement. For a team trying to turn raw talent into something more dependable, those kinds of examples can matter as much as any box score. [Read more 🡒]
Wizards Are Running Out Of Time On Anthony Davis
Anthony Davis is eligible to sign a contract extension with the Wizards, but the clock is already ticking on Washingtons ability to control the situation. Davis has made it clear hed rather revisit a new deal after the season, leaving the front office with an awkward midyear calculation: either work toward an extension before the campaign is over or decide the return on a trade now is better than the uncertainty later.
For Washington, the pressure is bigger than one contract conversation. Davis wants to play for a contender, and the Wizards current standing will matter in how he views his future with the franchise. If the team cannot convince him that its direction lines up with his goals, the front office may have to weigh a move before the February deadline against the possibility of losing leverage as the season unfolds. [Read more 🡒]