As soon as the Washington Wizards traded for Anthony Davis, the speculation began about how long he'd actually be in the nation's capital. It only became more of a talking point as the weeks went on and he didn't suit up for a game. Surely, he'd be traded during the offseason, right? Wrong. The team said they wanted to keep him, and although they haven't discussed a potential extension yet, he seems happy with where he is.
Davis said at media day that the Wizards are trying to "change the narrative" around the team, noting that opponents have in the past viewed games against Washington as an "off night." That probably means teams he's played for have done just that, not that you, as a fan, didn't already know that.
After a couple of days of training camp, AD highlighted the team's "competitiveness, the hunger, the desire to learn" after talking about how Washington wants to play "meaningful basketball."
He posted pictures from media day on his Instagram account, showed AJ Dybantsa and Bub Carrington how to dance, and went to the Mystics' playoff game against the Dream on Wednesday night.
Now, none of that means that a trade won't happen, as it's certainly a possibility, but Davis sure doesn't look like someone eager to leave.
Anthony Davis wants to play for a winning team
The 33-year-old made it clear after Washington traded for him that he wants to win, which the Wizards haven't done much of over the past several years. You have to go back to 2017-18, when they finished 43-39, for the most recent season that they finished over .500.
Washington is no longer in tank mode, not that it would be incentivized by the league for it, given that the 2026-27 season is the first of the anti-tanking reform. The Wizards have added a mix of veterans, led by Davis and Trae Young, to their young core, which now includes Dybantsa, the No. 1 pick in the 2026 draft. They believe that they have something special brewing.
It will be a little while longer before they decide whether it's worth keeping AD around, with the biggest question revolving around his availability. If things work out well for both sides at the start of the season and Davis is open to discussing an extension (he said at media day he wanted to wait until after the season), maybe they can get something done.
That might not have seemed like much of a possibility when Davis first arrived in Washington, with the team nearing the end of a 17-65 season, but as he said then, the organization "is not what people make it seem."
Davis seems to like it where he is, but of course, he hasn't played in a game yet. And he doesn't know how they'll stack up against the top teams in the East. No one can say for certain (not even him) if he will be in D.C. for long, but he's already been in town much longer than most people thought he would, and that means something.
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