The Washington Wizards will officially be without two key pieces for the final four games of the 2025-26 regular season, head coach Brian Keefe said pregame on Tuesday.
The growing expectation has now become a reality for the Washington Wizards.
Head coach Brian Keefe said ahead of tonight's home game against the Chicago Bulls that neither point guard Trae Young nor forward Anthony Davis are expected to return to the court this season, ending their 2025-26 season amid a losing stretch for the Wizards.
Trae Young was acquired back on Jan. 7 in exchange for Corey Kispert and CJ McCollum after being limited to just ten games with the Atlanta Hawks this season, battling both quad and back injuries. Yet he was able to eventually make his debut against the Utah Jazz on March 5, the first of five appearances with the Wizards this season. Despite being held to a minute restriction and playing no more than 24 minutes, Young posted double figures scoring in every game while recording at least six assists in four of his five appearances. Young also did it while shooting at least 50% from the floor in four of his five games - the exception being a 4-of-9 shooting night in his debut - to provide instant playmaking to the backcourt.
Young left the March 16 loss against the Golden State Warriors and has been ruled out with both low back pain and a right quad contusion as head coach Brian Keefe noted last week the new point guard was not yet cleared to return to basketball activities. While brief, his return to the court fueled optimism for what a backcourt featuring Young and Tre Johnson will look like alongside a restocked frontcourt.
That big man picture also includes Anthony Davis next season, though his return this season was more hopeful than anything else. General manager Will Dawkins previously noted it was "highly likely" that Davis would join Trae Young in his Wizards debut this season, but that never materialized.
The team previously announced that Davis was cleared for "light contact" last week, though did not provide an update on his recovery timeline.
Davis was acquired by the Wizards in a stunning trade ahead of the deadline, joining Jaden Hardy, D'Angelo Russell and Dante Exum in a trade that sent five draft picks to the Dallas Mavericks along with Marvin Bagley, Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson and Malaki Branham.
With all eyes now focused on Davis and Young on the floor in Wizards uniforms next season, what happens with their contract this summer will be another question for general manager Will Dawkins to answer as he puts the finishing touches on the rebuild.