Just days after declining his $49 million player option, Trae Young signed a four-year, approximately $212 million deal to stay with the Washington Wizards. The four-time NBA All-Star will hold a player option in Year 4. As ESPN’s Shams Charania broke the news, he noted:

“He decided that he wanted the trade there, he landed there and now the team has completely turned it over, with Trae Young there.”

Young’s commitment signals buy-in for a rebuild, one now anchored by the #1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. But it also introduces a salary question that Washington’s front office cannot ignore: can they sustain two max contracts simultaneously, and what does that mean for Anthony Davis?

Young’s contract starts at an estimated ~$47.3 million, nearly 30% of the salary cap. Factoring in Davis’s $58.5 million salary for 2026–27, the Wizards sit near or just below the luxury tax threshold, leaving little room for external free agent additions through cap space. Washington would instead need to rely on trade exceptions or mid-level exception slots to build around their core.

That’s the gap between Winger’s public commitment to Davis and the financial reality Young’s extension just created- and it’s exactly the gap Fischer’s reporting exploits.

That payroll reality is what has reignited trade speculation around AD. In his latest NBA insider report for Bleacher Report, Jake Fischer flagged Portland as a team positioned to capitalize, but framed it as a contingency, not a certainty:

“Anthony Davis remains extension eligible, and his representation at Klutch Sports was signaling to any team that called Dallas before February’s trade deadline that he wanted his own max extension,” Fischer said. “Portland, to our understanding, as they have been floating around and poking around in Giannis trade conversations, we’ve been told, we’ve reported this previously, that they would look to pivot to Anthony Davis on the trade market.

“They obviously have Jaylen Brown interest as well in the event that Portland doesn’t get Giannis. And I do wonder about Anthony Davis in a post-Trae Young, max-contract world. Can the Wizards really stomach paying both those guys max money? Will that make it more likely that Anthony Davis could potentially get traded somewhere else? I think that is plausible. And we’ve been told that Portland will be waiting there with open arms, potentially to trade for Anthony Davis in that event.”

So, Washington cannot sign external impact free agents using pure cap space. They must utilize their trade exception or create open spots to access the mid-level exception.

Similarly, the Blazers own their 2027 and later first-round draft picks (with some protections and swaps), plus additional draft equity from previous trades, though they do not own their 2026 first-round pick (owed to Chicago). This still gives them meaningful ammunition to construct competitive trade offers.

Portland can construct a highly competitive offer built around matching contracts like Jerami Grant’s (owed roughly $32 million) and a couple of protected future first-round picks. Placing him next to Donovan Clingan in the frontcourt would give the Blazers a chance to challenge Chet Holmgren, Victor Wembanyama, Rudy Gobert and other top-tier centers in the Western Conference.

President remains firm on the Anthony Davis situation

The Davis situation in Washington has followed a familiar arc. After the trade from Dallas in February, reports surfaced that Davis was unhappy with the move- rumors he quickly denied:

“They said I said a lot of stuff in the other city, too, that I didn’t say.”

Now, months later, the same pattern is repeating: exit speculation, and a front office publicly insisting everything is fine.

Wizards president Michael Winger, speaking with JP Finlay of NBC Sports, was emphatic about Davis’s place in the rebuild:

“Our conversations with AD are delightful. He’s a pro’s pro. He understands who he is in this league, the direction of the league, and what we’re trying to do organizationally,” Winger said. “He’s communicated to me a strong interest in being part of what we’re building. Like the rest of us, wants to be on a really, really good basketball team and compete for something big. That’s our aim. That’s what we want to do, and I’m delighted that Anthony is here for that.”

Winger’s words carry weight, but so does context. He has consistently projected confidence at every stage of this rebuild, right up until the next deal gets done.

The uncertainty isn’t Fischer’s speculation alone- it’s the combination of a ballooning payroll, a front office with decisions to make around the #1 pick, and a trade market that already has Portland on standby. AD hasn’t suited up for Washington yet. By the time he does, the picture may look very different.