Anthony Davis made his feelings very clear Monday as he spoke about what the future holds for him as a member of the Washington Wizards.
The 10-time All-Star was candid with reporters Monday about his new team, months after the blockbuster trade that sent him to D.C. Davis asserted that he needs the Wizards’ brass to assure him that the team is ready to go from bottom feeder to playoff contender in short order.
“I’ve been in this league a long time, and I’ve been with losing teams, been on losing teams,” Davis said, via The Athletic’s Josh Robbins. “It’s very hard to be a losing team and then a championship contender, right? I think one team has only done it: Boston in ’08. The only team, right? Even when I was in New Orleans and we had two losing seasons, then we made the playoffs our third year — that, within itself, is a huge jump: showing that you want to be on a path to winning.
“And that’s what it takes. So, if something comes out of the conversation where that’s the path — and, obviously, you won’t know until the season starts — that’s what I would like to see. What is our plan for winning going into next season? And how? Not like this is a plan, but how do we execute that? And based on that, we’ll kind of see what happens.”
Davis assured the media that he still sees himself putting on a Wizards uniform come October, joking that he loves his money too much to hold out on his new team.
The Wizards finished with the NBA’s worst record this season, which assures them a top-5 pick in the loaded 2026 draft. Washington was among the handful of teams many felt were intentionally trying to lose for the sake of better draft positioning.
The team does have a few promising pieces in center Alex Sarr and swingman Kyshawn George on top of fellow All-Star addition Trae Young, whom the team acquired in January. Washington could develop into a frisky young team next season. But if the team underperforms to start the year, the 33-year-old Davis may not have the patience to see it through.
