Washington Wizards Not Expected to Dish Max Deal to Anthony Davis

While the bulk of the attention has remained centered on the court, the Washington Wizards also enter the upcoming regular season with questions to answer off the court as well, starting with veteran forward Anthony Davis.

After a summer of noise surrounding Davis' stance on the Wizards and interest in staying with the organization, the two sides opted to hold off on a contract extension once his window to negotiate opened on Aug. 6. With the belief that both sides could wait roughly one quarter into the 2026-27 season before making a decision, the expectation is now that the Wizards are unlikely to extend the ten-time All Star a max contract.

Josh Robbins of The Athletic reported on Tuesday that there is "almost no chance" the team is ready to give Davis the max -- which equates to a four year deal worth approximately $275 million. Yet with Davis missing nearly 75% of regular season games since he was traded from the Los Angeles Lakers midway through the 2024-25 season, in addition to entering the season at 33 years old, the upcoming regular season provides an opportunity for Davis to prove himself back at full strength. The veteran is also expected to serve as a focal point of the Wizards' identity this upcoming season given the consistent buzz surrounding the added length and commitment to defense this offseason.

Davis, meanwhile, brushed off questions about his looming contract negotiations before pointing to the end of the regular season as a chance to re-evaluate his status prior to the final year of his contract. He also serves as one of two notable roster decisions still looming given wing Bilal Coulibaly has less than two weeks until his rookie extension window closes ahead of the start of his fourth year with the organization.

The veteran has been a full participant through the first week of training camp and was among the Wizards who took the floor inside Capital One Arena for the team's open practice last week.

While Davis and the Wizards will kick off the four-game preseason slate with a road game against the New York Knicks on Thursday, his official Wizards debut will materialize on Opening Night when the Milwaukee Bucks arrived in Washington on Oct. 21.

Davis is coming off a 2025-26 season where he played just 20 games with the Dallas Mavericks, averaging 20.4 points and 11.1 rebounds in over 31 minutes per game.