Will Dawkins spoke to the media on Thursday and talked about where Anthony Davis stands as he enters his first full season with the Washington Wizards after the team opted not to pursue extension talks this summer.
"AD's in a great frame of mind, focused and ready to start the season… I expect AD to remind the basketball world who he is."
That's all the Wizards can ask for right now from AD, who didn't play after the team acquired him before the February deadline because of a finger injury. They entered the offseason by making it clear they didn't want to trade him.
Still, when he became extension-eligible on August 6, they pushed potential extension talks to during the season, rather than paying him before he played a single game because of, you guessed it, the injury concern.
If Davis is physically capable of doing what Dawkins believes, reminding everyone who he is, the Wizards will need to take advantage of that sooner rather than later. Not by extending him, but by listening to offers for the 32-year-old—that is, if AD doesn't beat them to the punch by making it known that he wants to play for a contender, which he's already said, but he's willing to give things a shot in Washington.
Trading Anthony Davis may be Wizards' only real option
Yes, extending Davis is an option for Washington, but at this stage of his career, it's become harder to count on him to be on the court and, when he is, to stay out there. That's why he dropped 26 spots in ESPN's player rankings. He's played in only 29 games since the Lakers traded him to the Mavericks in January 2025 because of a few different injuries.
While AD could always shift the narrative, and he seems positioned to do so as the season begins, the question remains: Can he stay healthy? And as he gets older, that will only become more of a concern, so if Washington signs him to an extension, it could muddy their future (even more than the Trae Young contract might), since much of it will hinge on whether Davis is on the floor.
If he can do that to start the season, and teams call about his services (the Wizards could maybe even take advantage of the Pistons' desperation if things don't turn around with Jalen Duren), then Washington needs to make something happen, especially since, even with all of the hope about the future, there is still a gap between them and the top teams in the East.
As for Davis, time isn't on the Wizards' side, especially with his higher-than-normal injury risk.
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