The Washington Wizards’ trades for Anthony Davis and Trae Young have fundamentally changed Wizards players’ expectations for the 2026-27 season. Washington’s incumbent youngsters now see a profound transition in the works, an evolution from a team now focused on its draft position and on player development into a team that next season will aim for a postseason berth.
“It’s great,” third-year forward Bilal Coulibaly said after a recent game. “We’re already talking about the playoffs, how different it will be. We were talking about it with Trae and AD this morning. They’re just talking to us a lot about all that stuff. We’ve never been there, so we don’t know what it looks like. But we can’t wait.”
Is that confidence justified? With Davis and Young in the fold, alongside this June’s first-round pick and a returning nucleus of Alex Sarr, Kyshawn George, Bub Carrington, Tre Johnson, Will Riley and Coulibaly, what is realistic? How will the team fit together?
To answer those questions, The Athletic enlisted the help of four NBA scouts. The Athletic granted them anonymity because teams do not allow their scouts to speak to news outlets about opposing players. Without granting anonymity, articles such as this one could not exist. Anonymity also allows the scouts to be completely honest, without fear of reprisals.
Wizards officials have described their trades for Davis and for Young as intentional steps to enhance the development of their young players. There is a limit, team officials have said, in the type of growth young players make when their team is not playing close, competitive games on most nights. The additions of Davis and Young are designed to change that; not only should the 2026-27 Wizards play a larger number of tight, high-leverage games, but, for the first time in their pro careers, the youngsters will play in games that feature something tangible at stake: a potential trip to the postseason.
The four scouts largely agree that the Wizards’ youngsters are entering a brand-new phase in their pro careers.
“I’m not in their locker room, but these guys (Davis and Young) are former All-Stars,” Scout A said. “Where they are in their careers, it remains to be seen. However, I think that it points to the young guys in the locker room that ‘We’re going in a different direction now. We’ve let you guys have at it for two seasons. But now, we’re looking to accelerate things.’”
Scout A added: “It’s a different vibe when you’re going into a game and you’re playing to win a game or you’re playing for playoff positioning. The focus is different. When you add these veteran guys that are talented and have had some success in the league, I think it’ll change the mentality of some of those guys that have been there the last couple of years.”
How will Anthony Davis and Trae Young fit?
If you noticed some skepticism about Davis and Young in Scout A’s comments, you are not imagining things.
That was one point all four scouts made: Just how effective will Davis and Young be?
The scouts’ hesitation should not come as a surprise. As the new calendar year and the NBA trade deadline approached, it appears that Davis’ and Young’s trade values had never been lower.
To obtain Davis from the Dallas Mavericks, the Wizards accepted D’Angelo Russell, Danté Exum, Jaden Hardy from Dallas and traded Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson, Marvin Bagley III, a 2026 first-round pick that likely will fall very late in the first round, a top-20 protected 2030 first-round pick that might not convey and three second-round picks.
Davis will turn 33 in March, and he has struggled in recent seasons to avoid injuries. At some point, he will also want additional years beyond his current contract, which is scheduled to end with a 2027-28 player option worth $62.8 million.
“His injury history speaks for itself,” Scout B said. “Why is that going to be any different (in Washington)? It’s a total crapshoot whether or not he shows up and plays an appreciable number of games. If he’s healthy, that’s one thing. But you can’t count on that. That would be icing more than anything if he plays 70 games. But inevitably, things have happened with him. So, it’s sort of a double-edged sword. If he plays a reasonable number of games, they’ll be good, they’ll be better.”
Scout C put it more bluntly: “AD’s health is of paramount concern, obviously.”
Young, who will turn 28 in September, is confronted by a different set of questions: his defense and how oriented he will be toward helping the team’s current young corps make strides.
To obtain Young from the Hawks, the Wizards sent guards CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert to Atlanta. That was a small price for the Wizards to pay for a four-time All-Star who should be approaching the prime of his career.
Scout D sees the Wizards as offering a probable inflection point for Young’s career. With this opportunity, the scout said, Young will have the potential to reestablish himself as an impactful All-Star-caliber player.
All the scouts agreed with the conventional wisdom that Young has significant deficiencies as a defender because of his lack of size at 6-foot-1 and 180 pounds. No matter what, the scouts said, the Wizards will need a strong defense around him, just as the Hawks needed when Clint Capela served as the Hawks’ primary rim protector.
Where the scouts diverged is on Washington’s ability to hide Young’s defensive deficiencies.
Assuming that the Wizards start Coulibaly, George, Davis and Sarr alongside Young, three of the four scouts said the Wizards will have a chance to hide Young’s flaws to a degree.
“You have two major rim protectors, potentially, there,” Scout B said, referring to Davis and Sarr. “So it would help a lot. That is a lineup that you could feel somewhat comfortable with in terms of hiding (Young). But still, when your best player is not a good defender and is a constant sieve, that’s not a good starting point, But that would be mitigated by both of those guys, because they both are legitimate rim protectors.”
The Wizards entered Wednesday ranked 28th in the NBA in defensive rating, allowing 119.9 points per 100 possessions.
“Trae’s defense is of paramount concern,” Scout C said. “He’s coming to a team that’s horrific defensively by the numbers. I don’t care if you’re developing players or trying to win games — you can’t be that bad defensively and think, ‘Oh, we’re just going to get these guys and be better.’ We know Trae’s terrible (on defense), and I get the theory of bringing in AD. But AD’s not the AD he was three, five or seven years ago.”
How Davis and Sarr will fit alongside each other intrigued the scouts. Three of the scouts noted that Davis has been vocal at past stops about playing the four instead of the five, which, on offense at least, could be somewhat problematic because Sarr has liked to set up on the perimeter (though has added variety to his offensive repertoire this season, making more forays to the rim).
“The question I have is what does this do to Sarr’s development with AD (on the team),” Scout C said. “I think Sarr’s at least shown he’s made a step offensively. Now you’re bringing AD in who, historically, has made it clear — loudly — at his other stops (that) he does not want to be the five. He doesn’t want to have to guard fives. He prefers to play on the perimeter, shoot 3s. But I think they probably got him for wanting some of that interior defense. So what does that do to Sarr? How do they complement each other? Does that take away from his development in the process? …
“What’s the happy medium with both of them? You can play a five-out game, but you’ve got to have somebody down there in the dunker spot. I’m sure they’ll both do it, but are they both going to be bought-in to doing that all the time?”
The team recently agreed on a multiyear contract with Tristan Vukčević that includes a fully guaranteed 2026-27. But Vukčević profiles as more of a depth piece. It’s likely that the team will seek to add another big man during the offseason — a physical, big body who can match up against some of the league’s most physical bigs. In that sense, any offseason addition would be similar to the team’s free-agent signing of Jonas Valančiūnas before the 2024-25 season; Valančiūnas often matched up against more physical opponents, saving Sarr from wear-and-tear.
Anthony Davis, a 10-time All-Star, should help the Wizards on both ends of the floor. (Kevin Jairaj / Imagn Images)
The high upside
But the positives are substantial, too. A front-office executive from another team recently referred to Davis as “a top-10 player in the league” when Davis is healthy and bought-in.
Wizards officials regard Young as someone who, because of his shot gravity, passing ability and feel, will generate open shots for the likes of Tre Johnson, George and Carrington, whose 3-point percentages this season range from 37.0 percent to 38.2 percent despite recent constant shuffling of lineups. Sarr and Davis, meanwhile, should feast off pick-and-rolls in which Young serves as the ballhandler.
“He’s able to create both for himself and teammates,” Scout A said of Young. “He’s good to have in that role, I think. … As far as the game (itself) — shooting, scoring, passing — he’s got a lot offensively.”
This season, the Wizards have largely relied on combo guards such as Carrington or McCollum or on George, who is a point forward, to direct the offense. When their team is fully developed, Wizards officials and coaches envision an offense that will feature multiple ballhandlers.
As the primary orchestrator, however, Young should provide a massive upgrade.
Scout B referred to Young as “a real point guard.”
“Carrington’s not a real point guard, in my opinion,” Scout B said. “He’s a kind of a combo. Most competitive teams have point guards. Whatever you say about Trae Young, he’s a good player. Maybe he’s not going to get them to the promised land, but he’s going to help them win some games.
“He’s going to keep them in games. They have a closer. Every team needs a closer. He can be a closer at some level.”
Scout D envisions Young and Davis elevating the young nucleus by providing high-level veteran skill during clutch situations.
Earlier this season, for example, the Wizards relied on McCollum and Middleton to guide them in close games, and McCollum, especially, was helpful in that regard. But Young and a fully healthy Davis should far eclipse what McCollum and Middleton brought to the court. Young and Davis should provide a palpable backstop in late-game situations.
Then there should be a domino effect in roles.
For most of their Wizards tenures, the team’s young players have had to occupy offensive roles that they have not been fully ready for. For instance, with Young and Davis out, and with McCollum and Middleton gone, it’s fair to describe George and Sarr as the de facto top options on offense. Those roles have provided the youngsters with valuable experience, but those roles don’t accurately correspond to where George and Sarr are at this stage of their careers as second-year players. Carrington and Tre Johnson arguably occupy roles that they are not fully ready for, either.
But the youngsters’ slots on offense should change once Young and Davis start playing regularly.
“They’re not in their eventual roles, probably,” Scout B said. “I mean, do they really even have a No. 1 option now? No. But somebody’s got to take the responsibility now to score. So, guys will probably be pushed down to levels where their talents are matched more with their actual role, which is probably not the case now because they don’t really have anybody who’s a number-one or a number-two option.”
For now, however, the Wizards’ young players are especially difficult to evaluate, though Sarr has made clear progress.
“I think they’ve got solid wings,” Scout C said. “I really like Kyshawn George’s potential. He’s not quite there yet. Bub, I was a little lukewarm on and have started to warm up on him. I think he’ll be a great backup to Trae.”
Scout C added: “Coulibaly, I have a hard time evaluating where he is (with his growth), but I don’t see any (growth on) offense. I see the length, and I see the athleticism, but I don’t always see what some people say they see and this defensive promise. I just don’t see it consistently enough, and maybe that’s because they’ve just been losing. I think Sarr’s shown some promise and some development this year. So they should be better on paper for sure (with Davis and Young).”
How much better?
All four scouts said the Wizards’ fortunes in 2026-27 and for the long term will hinge partly on how the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery goes and whether the team makes the right pick, wherever it lands. That, of course, is an obvious point.
But assuming good health from Davis and Young, three of the four scouts said a playoff appearance next season will be within the Wizards’ reach. Scout D said the Wizards likely will be a playoff team, with their floor being a Play-In exit.
Scout C said: “On talent alone, they’re going to be better. The bottom half of the East is historically always tough to watch, sixth through eighth, with the Play-In teams. They can definitely get in that conversation.
The least optimistic assessment came from Scout B, who doesn’t see Washington overtaking Detroit, Boston, New York, Cleveland, Toronto, Philadelphia, Miami or Indiana (which will have Tyrese Haliburton back).
“To me, they’re fighting for nine and 10,” Scout B said. “A playoff team? That would be shocking.”
The most optimistic forecast came from Scout A.
“They should be a playoff team,” he said. “You just look at the East. It’s relative to where they are, and obviously teams will change. With the draft and free agency, rosters will look different. However, if I look at the current landscape, if Trae Young and Anthony Davis are playing close to the level that they’re capable of, there shouldn’t be a reason why they’re not competing in the East.”
The specific forecasts indeed are subject to debate.
The big picture isn’t. The scouts agree: The Wizards are about to enter a new phase in their build.