All the intrigue surrounding the Washington Wizards and their future is warranted. The Wizards are among the NBA’s young, rising teams with an interesting mix of veteran starpower and emerging talent.
The Wizards made an interesting decision earlier this year when they acquired former All-Star point guard Trae Young from the Atlanta Hawks. Considering the timeline Washington is on, trading for Young, 27, it certainly raised some eyebrows. The Wizards then doubled-down, landing Anthony Davis from the Dallas Mavericks.
Although there has been plenty of trade speculation surrounding Davis and the Wizards this summer, especially when LeBron James was still a free agent, Washington appears prepared to enter the 2026-27 season with Davis and Young leading a young team up the ranks in the Eastern Conference.
Should Washington Hold on to Anthony Davis? Perhaps the Celtics Come Calling
Davis, 33, is eligible for a contract extension but hasn’t received one. The 10-time All-Star is still on a three-year contract worth roughly $175 million. Although Davis is on a hefty deal, if the Wizards made Davis available in trade talks, multiple teams would likely show interest. One of those could be the Boston Celtics, who recently moved on from Jaylen Brown.
So, what could the Wizards receive in return for Davis? Here’s a proposed trade framework that sends Davis to the Celtics.
Wizards receive: Paul George, Baylor Scheierman, Jordan Walsh and a 2031 first round pick
Celtics receive: Anthony Davis
In this hypothetical trade, the Wizards ship Davis to the Celtics in exchange for a first rounder and two young pieces to add to their collection of emerging talent. As for George, the Wizards could aim for the 36-year-old to build up his trade value so the team has options ahead of the February trade deadline. George showed in last season’s playoffs that he is still an impact player, so win-now teams out there could take a chance on him.
For Boston, Davis, if he can avoid injury trouble, would give the team an MVP-caliber player who can dominate both ends of the floor. Jayson Tatum has never played with a big man as accomplished as Davis.
Will Washington Trade Davis Soon?
It is certainly fair to question why a team who is set to build around the 19-year-old AJ Dybantsa, the first overall pick in this year’s draft, would want to hang onto a 33-year-old. Perhaps there is something to the Wizards not extending Davis’ contract (so far) this offseason.
However, Wizards general manager Will Dawkins not only looks forward to seeing Davis in a Washington jersey, but also expressed confidence in how Young and Davis will complement each other on the court.
“What we’re getting with both of them are players who are motivated and have a chip on their shoulder, as well,” general manager Dawkins told ESPN earlier this year. “Obviously, our young guys want to get out there and prove that they can do it, as well. But I think you’re walking into a storm of motivation from the coaching staff to our young developmental players that want to take their next step as things they want to prove and establish themselves. But also, Anthony Davis was coming off of being on two teams (Lakers and Dallas Mavericks) in two years and Trae Young, the way he left Atlanta, you’re finding guys that want to be in D.C. and want to compete together and I think have some chips on their shoulders. Those are the horses we want to put our bets on.”
Davis and Young have had an interesting last couple of years, especially Davis, who has been traded multiple times since his time with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Young was seen as the face of the Atlanta Hawks up until recently. A four-time All-Star, the former Hawk appeared in five games for the Wizards last season before being shut down.
Proposed NBA Trade Lands Celtics Anthony Davis in Massive 4-Player Deal