Wizards World gained clarity on Thursday, as The Athletic's Josh Robbins reported that Washington won't meaningfully discuss a contract extension with Anthony Davis until the upcoming season (subscription required). The 33-year-old became eligible for a four-year, $275 million max deal on Thursday, but has played just 71 games over the last two seasons. He's entering the last year of his contract before a $62.7 million player option for 2027-28.
Meanwhile, Bilal Coulibaly is another injury-prone Wizard who's eligible for a new deal. The 22-year-old has completed three seasons, which is when first-round picks can sign rookie-scale extensions. However, the only player from his draft class to re-up so far is San Antonio Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama.
Coulibaly's extension watch is lower-stakes, as he'll earn a fraction of the deal that Davis is eligible for. The France native is Washington's best perimeter defender, as he often guards the opposing team's top player, but he has yet to log more than 63 games in a season and owns a 31.3% career clip from deep.
The Wizards could either sign Coulibaly this summer or let him play out the last year of his rookie deal before hitting restricted free agency next summer. That would allow the 6-foot-7, 195-pounder to test the market, but they could retain him by matching any offer sheet he gets from another team.
Wizards must set firm price point for Bilal Coulibaly
Washington's past extensions with Deni Avdija and Corey Kispert provide frames of reference for how to proceed with Coulibaly. It inked Avdija to a four-year, $55 million deal in 2023, three years after drafting him No. 9 overall. It also signed Kispert to a four-year, $54 million extension in 2024, three years after drafting him No. 15 overall.
Both Avdija and Kispert were role players at that point, with Avdija reaching All-Star status in 2026 as a Portland Trail Blazer. Coulibaly is also a role player who could come off the bench in the majority of games next season, as the acquisitions of Davis, Trae Young and AJ Dybantsa will limit available minutes for the rest of the rotation.
Given the salary cap's annual rise since the Avdija and Kispert deals, the Wizards should offer Coulibaly slightly more. However, they must not go over four years and $60 million, as he still has more to prove offensively and with his durability.
If Coulibaly wants a richer deal than that, Washington should make him earn it next season by improving in both of those aspects. If he accepts that offer this summer, then they'll have a young and athletic defensive maven on a team-friendly deal.
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