The Washington Wizards are on the rise, and they are widely expected to take a huge leap this upcoming season, especially with the arrival of AJ Dybantsa, the first overall selection of the 2026 NBA Draft. Washington took advantage of the trade market in February, acquiring All-Stars Anthony Davis and Trae Young to expedite their contending timeline.
The Wizards certainly have utmost belief in their core, as they gave Young a handsome four-year, $212 million contract extension, which some believe is a major overpay. Even more spending might be on the way for Washington, as Davis is soon going to be asking for a contract extension of his own.
Davis still has two years left on his contract, but similarly to Young, he has a player option for next season worth around $62.8 million. He's going to be extension eligible soon, and the Wizards aren't in a hurry to open contract talks with the 33-year-old big man.
“Anthony Davis wants to be here. We want him here. We’ll have that [extension] conversation in the middle of August when we can officially have that,” Wizards general manager Will Dawkins said following the second night of the NBA Draft, via Greg Finberg of Bullets Forever.
Considering Davis' extensive injury history, the Wizards will certainly be somewhat wary of committing a huge extension to the 10-time All-Star. This past season, Davis only played in 20 games, dealing with a groin strain and then a serious ligament injury in his hand that ended his season prematurely and has prevented him from making his Wizards debut.
When healthy enough to play, Davis is still a major force. He averaged 20.4 points and 11.1 rebounds this past season, and his defensive presence (alongside Alex Sarr) is going to be a game-changer for a Wizards team that finished dead last last season in defensive rating.
With Davis already approaching his mid-30s, one would expect that he'll be angling for a huge long-term contract extension, which possibly could be his last such deal in the NBA.
