Anthony Davis Now Eligible for Contract Extension with Wizards

After months of back and forth, the day has arrived: Anthony Davis is officially eligible to sign a new contract extension with the Washington Wizards.

With a four year deal with $275 million available for Davis and the Wizards, an extension will ultimately be what ends the noise and speculation about his status given Davis has remained almost consistently in the headlines ever since he was acquired from the Dallas Mavericks ahead of the trade deadline. In the days and weeks after becoming a Wizard, Davis publicly questioned how competitive the organization could be as he accentuated his preference to be on a team capable of competing for championships, not merely playoff appearances.

That noise also came with speculation about whether he would ultimately ever play in Washington, while Davis then found himself at the source of the rumor mill once the LeBron James free agency chase picked up as the Golden State Warriors were viewed as a possible team to land both future All Stars. Yet that talk came and went with multiple reports pointing to the Wizards' front office as uninterested in parting with Davis as the message from Will Dawkins remained consistent through the offseason.

Whether a new deal ultimately comes to fruition today is another story as the two sides are expected to begin conversations, just as general manager Will Dawkins has reiterated all offseason after noting that the ten-time All Star has remained part of the front office's vision for the franchise.

Unsurprisingly, reports of Anthony Davis eyeing a max contract have lingered with the Wizards able to offer a four year deal worth up to $275 million. While it's natural for anyone to want to command maximum dollar, whether a deal close to that ultimately materializes is the question mark. So is how soon a deal ultimately comes to fruition.

Ben Standig of Last Man Standig reported earlier this week that the belief is "both sides agree to wait" before finalizing an extension, while later adding that it's unlikely that a "resolution coming close to [four] for $275 million territory."

While Davis is currently set to play on year two of his three year contract worth roughly $175 million in 2026-27, Washington enters the extension window with roughly $19.5 million before hitting the first apron and $32.2 million before the second apron. Though Davis also joins Bilal Coulibaly and Cam Whitmore as extension eligible, Washington also enters the next two offseasons in favorable standing financially to make an extension a reality. But do the Wizards cash in? Could a three year deal worth near $150 million be closer to the details of the actual extension? Maybe most importantly, will a deal officially materialize before preseason begins? After months of waiting, answers will begin to emerge for the Wizards starting on Thursday.