An ESPN panel voted on the NBA players they believe will be next to request a trade, and, unsurprisingly, Anthony Davis is at the top of the list, receiving 10 points. It's not like the Washington Wizards are paying attention to things like that, and anyway, they already knew that. He's made it clear he wants to win, and at the end of last season, he wanted to know the team's plan to become a contender.
Davis became eligible to sign an extension on Aug. 6. That day, Josh Robbins of The Athletic reported that the team was holding off on discussions about a potential extension (subscription required) until the season. It's not like Davis is the only one unsure about his future — the Wizards are, too.
Washington should be better than it has been in previous seasons, with Trae Young and Davis, assuming both can stay healthy, specifically the latter. The Wizards aren't on the contender level yet, and given that AD is 33 (he'll turn 34 in March), it wouldn't be a shock if he requested a trade midseason.
His timeline doesn't line up with Washington's.
Davis dubbed next player to request a trade
Even if AD decides he wants to remain in Washington, the Wizards may not be willing to pay him what he wants, which is, apparently, the max, which could lead to him requesting a trade.
Regardless of how it happens, the likeliest scenario is that Davis will ask for a trade, since he's made it clear he wants to be in a winning environment. For that to happen, the Wizards will need to do a lot in half of a season, since AD is set to be an unrestricted free agent next summer. And they're not up to the level of the top teams in the East, like the Knicks, much less the rest of the league.
It'd be in Washington's best interest if AD stayed healthy enough to string together at least a couple of months of solid production, which would boost his value on the trade market. Even if he doesn't request a trade, the Wizards could decide to capitalize on that, but again, it feels like that's what he would want, too.
Davis and the Wizards wouldn't need to end things on bad terms in a trade, since both can get what they're looking for.
ESPN may be right about this one.
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