Anthony Davis still has questions about the Wizards' short-term direction

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Now, add another priority to the list: making Anthony Davis feel more confident about the Wizards’ competitiveness in the short term and, perhaps, resolve any concerns he might have about his contract situation. Davis reiterated Monday that he wants to have in-depth conversations with Monumental Basketball president Michael Winger and Wizards general manager Will Dawkins over the next few months to learn whether team officials have a concrete plan to compete for a championship either next season or during the 2027-28 season. Davis also amplified something he told The Athletic in February and said again last week on “The Draymond Green Show”: Despite how impressed he’s been with the Wizards’ young players, he doubts that the team, as currently constructed, can go from having the league’s worst record in 2025-26 to contention in 2026-27 even with himself and Trae Young on the roster. “I’ve been in this league a long time, and I’ve been with losing teams, been on losing teams,” Davis said Monday. “It’s very hard to be a losing team and then a championship contender, right? I think one team has only done it: Boston in ’08. The only team, right? Even when I was in New Orleans and we had two losing seasons, then we made the playoffs our third year — that, within itself, is a huge jump: showing that you want to be on a path to winning. “And that’s what it takes. So, if something comes out of the conversation where that’s the path — and, obviously, you won’t know until the season starts — that’s what I would like to see. What is our plan for winning going into next season? And how? Not like this is a plan, but how do we execute that? And based on that, we’ll kind of see what happens.” The phrase “see what happens” is where Davis’ comments got most interesting. Did he mean he would ask for a trade? Davis stopped well short of saying that. Asked specifically whether he’s operating on the assumption that he will still be a member of the Wizards when the 2026-27 season starts, Davis answered: “Yeah, I mean, I’m under contract. …” “Whether we figure something out in the summer (that’s) good or bad, whatever … if it doesn’t get figured out, then come October, mid-October, late October, I will have a Washington Wizards uniform on, and I will go out there, and I will do everything I can to win a basketball game. That’s never going to change. … In the summer, right now, I’m going to compete, train and have the mindset that I will be here next year. Not only because I’m under contract, but also, I like these young guys. I ain’t going to lie. I feel like they’re all my children.” There’s something else to consider: Davis’ contractual situation. In his current deal, he’s due to earn $58.5 million during the 2026-27 season and possesses a $62.8 million player option for the 2027-28 season. There has been speculation within the industry that, now that he’s 33 years old and is coming off of several injury-plagued seasons, he wants a few years added to his contract. Whether the Wizards are open to adding years onto his current deal remains unclear, especially given Davis’ recent injury history and given how team officials regard the long-term future of the team as revolving around a young nucleus of Alex Sarr, Kyshawn George, their eventual first-round pick this year and others. Monday was significant in part because it was the first time Davis sat down with Washington-area media members. His early February trade from the Dallas Mavericks to the Wizards had caught Davis (and the rest of the league) by surprise, and Wizards officials declined to make him available for questions with the media at large for the next two months. Young’s trade from the Atlanta Hawks to the Wizards in January prompted a big news conference that included Young. After Davis’ trade to Washington, there was no news conference. Still, the arrival of a 10-time All-Star, member of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team and key member of the Los Angeles Lakers’ 2019-20 NBA championship team was considered a sign that the Wizards’ rebuild was nearing its end. Indeed, the Wizards’ marketers had included Davis alongside Young and Sarr in some advertisements for 2026-27 season-ticket packages. On Monday, Davis said that his perception of the Wizards franchise at the time of the trade was not good. But he stated that those concerns started to evaporate within several days of his arrival. “I can personally say now it’s not what people think or what people make it seem,” Davis said. “Yes, the losing is part of it, so people kind of tie that with the organization. But the organization within itself is totally different from what people think they’re seeing.” He said he’s also grown fond of the team’s young players. On the bench during recent games, for instance, one of Davis’ frequent conversation partners has been 23-year-old big man Tristan Vukčević, and they often appear to be laughing with each other. “He’s definitely got a nice sense of humor,” Vukčević said Monday. “You don’t know what to expect when somebody comes in. So, him fitting into our little goofy, young squad was great to see. Him just being involved and helping everybody, from guards to bigs, was super helpful.” Having Davis and Young on the roster, with the expectation that both former All-Stars will play significant roles next season, has given the young Wizards a hint of swagger that they otherwise would not have had after their 17-65 season. George’s answer to a specific question was emblematic of that confidence. Asked what the team can accomplish next season, George answered, “Many, many great things. I think we will still be playing (at) this time next year, for sure, and I think we’re going to compete for something that I’ve never competed for yet.” And making Davis more confident about the Wizards’ short-term future now has to be a priority over the next several months. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Josh Robbins is a senior writer for The Athletic. He began covering the Washington Wizards in 2021 after spending more than a decade on the Orlando Magic beat for The Athletic and the Orlando Sentinel, where he worked for 18 years. His work has been honored by the Football Writers Association of America, the Green Eyeshade Awards and the Florida Society of News Editors. He served as president of the Professional Basketball Writers Association from 2014 to 2023. Josh is a native of the greater Washington, D.C., area. Follow Josh on Twitter @JoshuaBRobbins