Anthony Davis’ $275 Million Dream Takes Major Hit After Wizards’ Stance

Back in 2023, Anthony Davis signed a three-year, $186 million extension with the Lakers that briefly stood as the richest annual contract in NBA history. It was a deal that cemented him as one of the game's most valuable two-way bigs. Fast-forward to 2026 and Davis is eligible for an even bigger payday: a four-year, $275 million max extension if he declines his $62.8 million player option for 2027-28 from the Washington Wizards.

This time, though, the team on the other side of the table isn't rushing to make it happen.

According to David Aldridge and Josh Robbins of The Athletic, Davis and agent Rich Paul are seeking a max extension or a deal close to it, while the two sides have agreed to wait before having meaningful extension talks. The Wizards, however, are reportedly unlikely to offer anywhere close to that number.

"There's almost no chance the Wizards will give him that max extension," Aldridge and Robbins wrote, "not with his injury history, not at his age, not with the team in this stage of its development and the punitive first and second aprons looming."

The concerns outlined in the report align closely with Davis' recent medical history. He played just 20 games last season before suffering ligament damage in his left hand and has yet to make his official debut for Washington since arriving in a February trade from Dallas.

Davis turns 34 in March, and a four-year extension would commit the Wizards to paying him deep into his late 30s. Precisely the kind of long-term risk a rebuilding franchise is wary of taking on.

Washington's roster timeline makes the hesitation easier to understand. The Wizards are building around No. 1 overall pick AJ Dybantsa and former lottery pick Alex Sarr, and they already committed four years and approximately $212 million to Trae Young this past summer, further limiting their appetite for a second max-level long-term salary.

With the organization still in the early stages of a rebuild, locking up a 33-year-old big man with Davis' recent durability concerns runs foul of the timeline the front office appears to be building toward.

With a max extension unlikely in Washington, Paul is reportedly already gauging how much interest exists around the league for Davis. He is expected to continue doing so as the Feb. 11 trade deadline approaches.

It's a familiar playbook for Paul, who has successfully worked moves for Davis before, including the 2019 trade request that ultimately sent him from New Orleans to the Lakers.

Davis himself has struck a more patient tone publicly. He indicated that he's prepared to play out the season before making any final decision on his long-term future, saying he plans to go through the season before sitting down with Washington's front office to discuss his future.

One potential middle ground already exists in recent NBA history: Kevin Durant's two-year, $90 million extension with the Houston Rockets, signed in 2025 and averaging $45 million annually, offers a shorter-term, lower-risk model that could appeal to both sides if a full max deal remains off the table.

Between the Wizards' clear reluctance and Paul's proven history of finding his star clients a new home when contract talks stall, Davis' situation in Washington looks increasingly unsettled heading into a pivotal season.

Whether that ends with a scaled-back extension, a trade before February, or simply another year of uncertainty, the four-year, $275 million maximum deal Davis could be eligible for looks far from guaranteed to happen in Washington.