Anthony Davis' Wizards Future in Doubt as Max Extension Deemed Highly Unlikely

Anthony Davis is preparing for his first full season with the Washington Wizards, but serious questions are already emerging about whether the 10-time All-Star will remain in Washington beyond the February trade deadline.

According to The Athletic's David Aldridge and Josh Robbins, there is almost no chance the Wizards will give the maximum extension Davis wants. “But there’s almost no chance the Wizards will give him that max extension — not with his injury history, not at his age, not with the team in this stage of its development and the punitive first and second aprons looming.”

Davis currently has a $62.8 million player option for the 2027-28 season and could potentially get a four-year extension worth approximately $276 million if he chooses to decline it. But committing that kind of money to Davis seems very unlikely. The exact terms of any extension offer are not confirmed.

The numbers explain why. Davis is still an elite two-way player when healthy, but availability is a big concern. The 33-year-old has played more than 62 games only once over the last eight seasons. He appeared in only 20 games last season, averaging 20.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks before a hand injury ended his campaign.

For a team in the middle of a rebuild, tying up that much cap space in a late-30s big man with that injury history is a hard sell — even one with Davis' pedigree.

INJURY CONCERNS

The numbers explain why. Davis is still an elite two-way player when healthy, but availability is a big concern. The 33-year-old has played more than 62 games only once over the last eight seasons. He appeared in only 20 games last season, averaging 20.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks before a hand injury ended his campaign.

That injury history is the core of the risk. Davis is now in his late 30s, and committing close to maximum money to a player with that track record would significantly reduce the Wizards' flexibility. For a team in the middle of a rebuild, tying up that much cap space in a late-30s big man is a hard sell — even one with Davis' pedigree.

No specific injury prognosis for the upcoming season has been provided, so the concern is based on past patterns rather than a fresh diagnosis. But the pattern is stark: eight seasons, one campaign above 62 games.

FINANCIAL PICTURE