New Wizards star Anthony Davis clears the air, refuting claims of unhappiness and revealing excitement for D.C.'s future plans.
The Dallas Mavericks made one of, if not the biggest splash at the NBA trade deadline by dealing Anthony Davis to the Washington Wizards. And everyone in the NBA world has an opinion on every trade.
And according to some reports, AD also had an opinion on his deal.
There were rumors being spread around that the future Hall of Fame big man was not happy with his new home, and that he was dissatisfied with going to a team that is in the middle of rebuilding.
But in a recent interview with David Aldridge of The Athletic, David denied those rumors and said that the opposite is true.
"They said I said a lot of stuff in the other city, too, that I didn’t say," Davis said.
If anything, it sounds like the big man is fed up with the Mavericks and the city of Dallas, which is yet another reason it's good that the team got what they could for him before his value starts going down.
In 20 games this season, Davis averaged 20 points and 11 rebounds per game with his usual excellence on the defensive side of the ball.
He has now been shut down for the season, which means that we won't see him put on a Wizards jersey on the court until next season. But he seems to be intrigued with what the team is building in D.C.
"I talked briefly (Friday) with Will [Dawkins, Wizards GM]. Obviously, at this time, every year, you want to compete for championships and stuff like that. That’s obviously the main focus, getting to that place. Conversations are going to be held to see about getting to that space. I’ve been everywhere the last two years. I want to see the plan, hear the plan, see the vision. Bringing Trae (Young) here and other things in store, what they’re thinking of doing, I want to have those conversations with them and see what happens. The city is obviously phenomenal."
The team also made a big splash when they traded with the Atlanta Hawks to get their All-Star point guard Trae Young. With a combination like him and AD when he gets healthy, Washington could be a team to watch in 2026-27.
As for Dallas, it never feels right to trade a player of Davis' caliber, but it seems like it was just the right time.