If Anthony Davis and the Washington Wizards reach agreement on a contract extension, it won’t happen until after the 2026-27 NBA season begins.
Davis and the Wizards have mutually decided to hold off talks on an extension until at least 20 games into the season, The Athletic’s Josh Robbins reported. The 14-year NBA veteran became eligible to sign an extension of up to four years and $275 million on Thursday.
The two sides will wait to see how they fit together with a new roster that includes 2026 No. 1 overall pick AJ Dybantsa; center Deandre Ayton, acquired from the Los Angeles Lakers; and point guard Trae Young, who signed a four-year, $212 million extension with Washington in July.
If Davis, 33, signs an extension with the Wizards, the first year of the new deal would replace the $62.8 player option that he currently holds for the 2027-28 season. He is set to be paid $58.5 million as part of the three-year, $175 million max extension he signed with the Lakers in August 2023.
Davis was traded to the Wizards from the Dallas Mavericks in February as part of an eight-player deal. However, the 6-foot-10 forward never took the court for Washington due to hand and finger injuries. He played only 20 games in total last season, averaging 20.4 points, 11.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.7 blocks.
That history of injuries likely has the Wizards reluctant to commit to a multiyear extension. Since playing a career-high 76 games during the 2023-24 campaign, Davis has played 71 games in total across the past two seasons. Only three times during his 14 NBA seasons has he played in at least 75 games. But he has career averages of 24.0 points, 10.7 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per contest.
Davis may also be hesitant to sign long-term with a Wizards team that finished with the NBA’s worst record last year at 17-65 — albeit without Davis and Young while tanking in an attempt to win the NBA Draft Lottery and the No. 1 overall selection.
Washington has won fewer than 20 games for the past three seasons and hasn’t won 40 or more games since the 2017-18 campaign. (The Wizards did make the playoffs during the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season with a 34-38 record.)
However, Davis has expressed optimism about the Wizards’ young talent that includes Dybantsa, center Alex Sarr, (16.3 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 2 BPG) forwards Kyshawn George (14.8 PPG), Julian Reese (10.5 PPG, 11.8 RPG) and Will Riley (10.3), and guards Tre Johnson (12.2) , Bilal Coulibaly (11.7) and Bub Carrington (10.7).
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