Anthony Davis has given the Wizards something they did not want to hear at media day: he wants to push the real contract conversation to the offseason.
That matters because Washington already had the chance to start working on an extension with Davis once August arrived. He’s eligible for a deal worth up to $275 million over four years, but according to Josh Robbins of The Athletic, the team decided to wait until after the season starts before opening those talks. Davis, though, made it clear on Monday that he’d prefer to hold off even longer.
“When the season is over. I’m going to go through the season, and kind of do what I do at a high level, and then, when it’s over, you know, sit down and have those key conversations again with the front office.”
That timeline leaves the Wizards in a tough spot. Davis has a $62.8 million player option he could turn down next summer to reach unrestricted free agency, and Washington has every reason to want to avoid that outcome. If the team waits until the season is done to revisit the issue, it gives him the chance to put himself in position to walk.
So the decision window is narrow. Washington can move him before the Feb. 11 deadline, or, if Davis changes his mind and the Wizards still want him, the sides could work out a new deal before the end of the season. What the Wizards cannot afford is simply letting this drag on.
They already paid to get him, and if the relationship is going to end, they should at least be able to recover value instead of watching him hit the market and leave them with nothing.
Davis went into media day knowing this was going to be the big question, and he still didn’t have a firm answer beyond wanting to revisit it after the season. Whether that’s truly how he feels or just his way of avoiding a constant loop of questions, it gives him a ready-made response for the next time it comes up.
He’s also made his priorities clear. At this stage of his career, Davis wants to play for a contender. He said after the Wizards acquired him before last year’s deadline that he wanted to see what the front office did over the summer and whether the roster could become a “true contender” over the next couple of years.
Washington is moving in the right direction, but that’s not the same thing as being ready to chase a title right now. A finish in the play-in tournament range would count as progress, but it still may not be enough to settle Davis’ future.
That’s why February has to be the line. The Wizards need to decide whether Davis is part of what comes next, because this is not the kind of situation that should sit unresolved for seven more months.
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