Wizards' Anthony Davis stance echoes what the Mavericks already knew

Now that August 6 is here, the date that Anthony Davis is eligible to sign an extension, it's not the Dallas Mavericks pondering whether to lock down the injury-prone big man to a long-term deal or not. They avoided that risky decision by trading him to the Wizards before the deadline.

Josh Robbins of The Athletic reported today that Washington wants to hold off (subscription required) on discussing an extension with Davis:

League sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity to speak freely told The Athletic that any meaningful talks between Davis and the Wizards about a possible extension will occur during the 2026-27 season, not before.

Beyond the fact that Washington has already committed a large sum of money to Trae Young (a four-year, $212 million deal) and has to consider future paydays for its younger players like Alex Sarr, the obvious concern about extending Davis is his injury history, and behind that, his age (33).

The last time that AD suited up in an NBA game was on Jan. 8, when the Mavericks lost to the Jazz. He has yet to play a single game for the Wizards, and it'd be bizarre for Washington to commit any money to him without first having an adequate sample size (if it gets one).

Mavericks know you have to play it safe with Anthony Davis

Davis played 29 games for the Mavericks across the year he was in Dallas after Nico Harrison traded for him, believing his defensive prowess gave Dallas a better shot at winning a championship than keeping Luka Dončić.

He got hurt in the first game that he played for the Mavericks, an unfortunate sign of what was to come.

Dallas made the right decision to move on from AD before the deadline, coming out on the other end with a solid return package. The trade gave the Mavericks far more value than they would've gotten had they extended AD this offseason in a move that, in all likelihood, would've actually managed to make that 2025 trade look even worse.

Wizards are waiting to see what Anthony Davis can give them

The sad thing is that Washington may be waiting to see something that doesn't come to fruition. Davis may not stay healthy enough to play enough games to show the Wizards whether they should (or shouldn't) commit to him. And even if he does, there will still be the risk that something will happen. It's an inescapable cloud, as Dallas knows.

Hopefully, for AD's sake, he will be able to get (and stay) out there and prove that he still is one of the most talented two-way players in the league. That could lead to him signing an extension in Washington, or he could use it as leverage to help him get traded to a contender.

However it shakes out, at least it's not a dilemma that the Mavericks are stuck in.

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