The Washington Wizards are staring at a simple but uncomfortable truth with Anthony Davis: they need him to prove he can be counted on before they even think about paying him like a franchise cornerstone.
If the two sides do keep this relationship going with an extension, Davis could turn down his $62.8 million player option for 2027-28 and land a four-year deal worth as much as $275 million. But that kind of number is exactly why Washington has to be careful. The Wizards have no business committing anywhere near a max-level price to a player who, at this point, has not looked like a max-level player.
That’s why it made sense for Washington to wait and handle extension talks during the season instead of rushing into a new contract before he ever played a game for the team. The issue has always been availability, and nothing about the last stretch has changed that.
Since the Lakers sent Davis to the Mavericks in the stunning beginning-of-2025 trade that brought Luka Dončić to Dallas, he has appeared in only 29 games. He also didn’t play for Washington to close out the season because he was dealing with a hand injury and a groin strain.
Maybe he would have been out there if the Wizards hadn’t been tanking for AJ Dybantsa. Maybe he still would’ve missed time, because the injuries were real.
Now Davis is 33, and the health risk only gets bigger from here. That alone is enough reason for Washington to pump the brakes, even if Rich Paul, his agent, isn’t interested in anything below top dollar.
If Davis wants to remain with the Wizards - and yes, he could also push for a trade to a contender - he’s going to have to accept that a max extension isn’t coming from Washington, and probably wouldn’t come from anyone else either. The risk is just too obvious. A shorter deal at a lower number is the only path that really makes sense.
The Wizards also have to keep one eye on the rest of their roster. Future extensions for their young core are coming, and handing Davis a deal in the same neighborhood as Trae Young’s four-year, $213 million extension would jam up their books fast. Every front office is watching the tax aprons, and Washington can’t afford to box itself in before AJ Dybantsa’s future even gets going.
And even if you set all of that aside, there’s still no clean case for paying Davis close to $70 million per year at this stage of his career. That remains true even if he manages to stay on the floor for more than 60 games this season, though that would certainly help his case.
For now, the injury questions are still hanging over everything. Washington knows it, too, or the two sides would already be talking extension.
The hope is that Davis can still give them the dominant version they’re after. But even if he does, the Wizards can’t pay him as if he’s the future.
Because he isn’t.
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