Washington Wizards forward Anthony Davis explained his reaction to being traded to Washington, what he likes, what questions he has and more.
The end of the 2025-26 regular season is gradually approaching for the Washington Wizards with Thursday set to mark one of three games remaining in a season filled with losses. With the fanbase ready to embrace the end of year two of the Brian Keefe tenure, attention has steadily began to shift toward what next season can look like inside the Capital One Arena, including the two star additions in Trae Young and Anthony Davis.
For Young, he enters the offseason with a decision to make ahead of his near $49 million player option, though whether general manager Will Dawkins opts to pull the trigger on a contract extension this summer will be another question after the Hawks guard prioritized going to a team that would be open to a long-term deal.
Yet it might not be as much of a question for Davis given he will be on year two of a three year, $175.3 million deal. Whether Davis wants to be part of the long-term plans is the biggest question, though, after admitting, "I'm always going to be about winning."
"No matter what, I want to win. If that's here, then that's here, but when you're in a rebuild, and every year that I play from here on out I want to compete for a championship. I just know, and you know, it's tough to be one of the worst teams in the league, and then next year you're a championship contender," Davis said on the Draymond Green Podcast.
Sure, maybe you and I wouldn't have much to complain about if an employer was willing to pay us $58 million over the next year. Yet for a ten-time All Star who once starred for a Los Angeles Lakers team that won a title to then head a Wizards franchise that has failed to win 50 games in a season since Jimmy Carter was in office, all within one year, leaves a question mark for Davis. It isn't a crazy claim, either. In fact, it was a refreshingly transparent perspective from Davis as the 33 year old veteran forward looks to maximize his championship window in the final years of his playing career.
The good news is Washington enters the offseason with both cap flexibility and draft capital, paired with a roster littered with young talent poised to breakout, to make the move to become a contender in 2026-27.
While Davis admitted becoming an immediate title contender is tough next season, showing signs of progress to become a playoff-caliber team and beyond is the point of emphasis that general manager Will Dawkins and the front office has to address. And as the veteran looks to remain open to seeing how that plan evolves, Davis admitted insight into the offseason blueprint would ease concerns as the Wizards look to build around his veteran leadership.
“I’m going into the summer having conversations with them. What’s realistic? Like what are y'all thinking? If we are trying to win, what other players are we getting? Are we getting other players? What can we do? What flexibility do we have? And then kind of go from there."
Washington previously announced that both Davis and Young would be sidelined for the remainder of the 2025-26 season, paving the way for Davis to make his Wizards debut next season.