Anthony Davis, Wizards Push Extension Talks to 20 Games Into 2026-27
AD is eligible for up to four years and $275M, but both sides want to see the new-look roster fit first. Here's the fantasy read.
Top-15 production is locked in — the risk is health, not motivation.
- Eligible for 4 years, $275M as of Thursday
- Talks paused until ~20 games into 2026-27
- 20 games in 2025-26: 20.4 pts, 11.1 reb
- Just 71 games played across last two seasons
- Holds $62.8M player option for 2027-28
Anthony Davis and the Wizards have agreed to hit pause on extension talks, waiting until roughly 20 games into the 2026-27 season before revisiting anything, per The Athletic's Josh Robbins. Davis became eligible Thursday for a deal worth up to four years and $275 million — the kind of number you don't usually leave sitting on the table unless both sides have reasons to be cautious.
And they do. The 33-year-old forward, now a 14-year vet, played just 20 games last season (2025-26) after February's eight-player trade from Dallas, missing his entire Washington debut with hand and finger injuries. When healthy he still produced 20.4 points, 11.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.7 blocks — but he's logged only 71 games total across the past two years.
Why Both Sides Are Waiting
The health file is the obvious sticking point for Washington. Davis has cleared 75 games just three times in his career, and the Wizards aren't rushing to guarantee multiple years to a player they've literally never watched suit up for them. If he does eventually sign, the first year would replace the $62.8 million player option he holds for 2027-28.
Davis has his own reasons to hold off. Washington finished a league-worst 17-65 last season — mostly a tank job with Davis and the newly extended Trae Young (four years, $212M) sidelined — and hasn't cracked 40 wins since 2017-18. The new core is young and unproven: No. 1 pick AJ Dybantsa, imported center Deandre Ayton, Young, and holdovers like Alex Sarr, who put up 16.3 points and 2.7 blocks last year. Twenty games should tell everyone how the pieces fit.
The Fantasy Angle
Strip away the contract noise and the fantasy value is still there. Davis sits at No. 13 in our rankings (No. 5 among forwards) on the strength of 44.2 fantasy points per game last season (2025-26, actual), even in a 20-game sample. Numbers like that don't disappear because a front office wants to see him stay upright first.
The move for managers: treat AD as a BUY LOW where a nervous owner is discounting him over durability. His per-game ceiling is a clear roster anchor, and there's no motivation red flag here — he's not disengaged, he's just untested with this group. Draft him, but pair him with real injury insurance and lean on Sarr (No. 47, 35.9 FPTS/G in 2025-26) as a Wizards fallback if the hand issues resurface.
