The last time the Washington Wizards qualified for the playoffs was in 2021, and the last time they won the NBA Championship was aeons ago in 1978, when they defeated the Seattle Supersonics in the final. A lot has changed since then, but the Wizards have never been that competitive again. They have the league’s worst record this season, and despite making moves for Anthony Davis and Trae Young, the future looks bleak for the Wizards. Even Davis is skeptical about how his future will unfold in Washington.
AD recently made an appearance on the ‘Draymond Green Show’ where he talked about his initial impressions of moving to Washington and what the future holds for him in the franchise. “I just know and you know it’s tough to be one of the worst teams in the league, and then next year you’re a championship contender,” Davis told Draymond Green. “It’s tough, tough, tough thing. You know? But now if you’re saying, hey, look, we can go from one of the worst teams, hey, we make playoffs, you get, you know, first, second round, and you stack it, then, you know, it’s a different conversation.”
Just incase anyone didn’t watch Draymond’s interview with AD, here’s how AD feels about being in Washington. #Forthedistrict pic.twitter.com/iCW65OmOEb
— Slimeyyy ࣪𖤐 (@AyeSlimeyyy) April 8, 2026
AD is 33, and he understands rebuilding timelines, and he’s not interested in waiting long. At the same time, he see’s himself as a veteran star in a team full of talented youngsters. However, Davis’s urgency makes Washington’s trades in the limelight. They have already added Trae Young from the Atlanta Hawks, even before making the move for AD, showing intent to win now. However, they need to keep adding pieces to the roster to be capable of fighting for playoff spots next season.
“Yeah, you know, but it’s not going to happen overnight. Right? And so for me, like, I want to be able to compete for championships and, you know, obviously this team is not there yet, you know? So I got it, like, I’m going into the summer, you know, having conversations with them, like, what’s realistic? Like, what are y’all thinking? If we are, you know, trying to win, what other players are we getting? You know, are we getting other players? You know, like, what can we do? What’s the flexibility? What flexibility do we have? And then kind of go from there. But at the end of the day, I want to compete for championships,” the former Dallas Mavericks big man shared.
The Wizards have an abundance of young talent, including Alex Sarr, Bubb Carrington, Kyshawn George, Will Riley, and Tre Johnson. However, if they want to emerge as a playoff team and eventually a championship contender in the coming years, they must make market moves and acquire more ready-made talents rather than players who have yet to reach their full potential.
Overall, Davis will keep a close eye on the Wizards and the moves they intend to make before the new season begins. However, it all depends on how both parties respond in the coming month. AD will be playing on an expiring contract for the 2026-27 season, giving the Wizards some time to plan their moves, but when that time comes, they will need to extend or trade their most valuable asset before this time next year. This time, AD would want to be certain, unlike the previous time, when he had no idea the Los Angeles Lakers were moving him to the Dallas Mavericks. But once he arrived, he was completely sold on the Mavericks’ strategy and everything they hoped to accomplish, including pairing him with Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving. Unfortunately, he was unable to make an impact on the Mavs due to frequent injuries.
Anthony Davis feels Nico Harrison’s vision for the Dallas Mavericks was on point
The entire trade of Luka Doncic moving from Dallas to Los Angeles also saw Anthony Davis go the other way. Following the trade, former Dallas Mavericks GM Nico Harrison was heavily criticized as he let go of a generational talent in Doncic while picking someone like AD, who is exceptional when healthy but has had a long history with injuries. And the fears were true as Doncic kept flourishing with the Lakers, Davis never really got going for the Mavericks. Eventually, he was traded to Washington on the trade deadline. However, much before that, Harrison was sacked for his bizarre trade call.
But AD believes that his vision was on point, but the Mavericks never really got to experience the likes of Cooper Flagg, Kyrie Irving and Davis playing together. “I think Nico’s vision was on point! We just didn’t have the opportunity to show it. You get Cooper paired with myself, Kyrie, PJ, Lively whose whole foot was messed up. Gafford, in training camp, rolled his ankle. We got these pieces, but can’t put them together,” Davis told Draymond.
“I’ll never forget we’re playing MIL at home in Dallas, PJ is at the FT line in a close game, and then fans are chanting ‘FIRE NICO.’ I was like, what? Like he made a business decision he thought would help the basketball team. We just never had the opportunity to put it all together.”
While Davis never really managed to make his mark with the Mavericks, he will have to be sure of his role in Washington. He seems to be at pace with the Wizards’ front office about their long-term plans revolving around the draft and free-agency moves to elevate their level from being the worst team in the league to fighting for the playoffs. With time running out for Davis, every single move will determine his future with the Wizards.
