Did Anthony Davis express dissatisfaction about being traded to the Wizards? He himself denies it: Maybe next year we will be the top team in the East.

On February 7th Beijing time, Anthony Davis officially appeared with the Wizards and gave an interview to renowned journalist David Aldridge, addressing and denying rumors about his unhappiness with joining the Wizards.

Davis himself said that reports suggesting he was unhappy about being traded to the Washington Wizards were overblown. “When I was in another city before, there were many fabricated statements attributed to me,” Davis said during a phone interview, at which time he was meeting the Wizards’ management and owner for the first time.

Previously, the Wizards completed a blockbuster trade, sending four players and five draft picks to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for 32-year-old Davis, along with guards D’Angelo Russell, Jalen Hardy, and Dante Exum.

Veteran NBA reporter Manickas from Sports Illustrated had reported that Davis “seemed unenthusiastic about joining the Wizards,” and reiterated this view on a podcast. However,Davis expressed that everything he has seen so far has made a positive impression on him..

“The meeting was very pleasant,” he said. “They definitely welcomed me with open arms, and I spent some time with Ted and Zach. The reality is completely different from what the media has portrayed. I know people think the Wizards are a weak team with a poor reputation. I haven’t seen the practice facility yet, but the home arena is definitely top-notch, world-class even. I also met the team chef and learned about their thoughtful care for players’ families. This trip has been a great experience.”

Davis will wear the number 23 jersey for the Wizards; the last player to wear 23 for the Wizards was Jordan 23 years ago.

This 10-time All-Star, 5-time First Team All-NBA, 5-time All-Defensive Team member, and one of the NBA’s 75 greatest players openly admittedthat he was surprised the Wizards were the first to make a move to acquire him.Regarding the rebuilding plan pushed by Weng and Dawkins, he remains open-minded — the team has already added promising young talents like Alex Caruso, Keion George, Trey Johnson, and Bilal Coulibaly.

Nonetheless, Davis hopes to have deeper discussions with the team’s decision-makers to clarify the team’s blueprint — aiming not only to return to the playoffs but also to become a strong contender for the championship.

Davis’s contract with the team runs through the 2026-27 season, with a player option worth $62.7 million for the 2027-28 season; his salary next season is $58.4 million. (In mid-January, Davis underwent hand surgery and is expected to be sidelined for at least six weeks, with a possible return in early March.)

“I need to have a good talk with Will, Ted, and Zach to understand the team’s real plan before deciding my next steps,” Davis said. “I had a brief conversation with Will on Friday. Obviously, at this time of year, all players want to compete for a championship, which is clearly our primary goal. We will communicate around that goal. Over the past two years, I’ve moved between several teams; now I want to see the team’s specific plan and understand the management’s vision. For example, moves like acquiring Trae Young and their follow-up ideas — I want to discuss these in depth and see where the team is headed. This city clearly is fantastic.”

Like many NBA players, whether wearing the Pelicans, Lakers, or Mavericks jerseys, Davis has always enjoyed his visits to Washington.

“This is Washington D.C., who wouldn’t like it here?”

However, as Beyoncé once sang, Davis is also searching for a team that can put a championship ring on his finger — he is eager to win another NBA title to continue the glory he achieved with the Lakers in 2020.

He had hoped to achieve this goal with the Mavericks. A year ago, the Mavericks shocked the league by trading multiple players and draft picks to send Luka Dončić to Los Angeles in exchange for Davis. Then-Mavericks GM Nico Harrison planned to build a defense-first team around Davis, pairing him with center Drake Leverett II, Daniel Gafford, wing players Naji Marshall and P.J. Washington, with guard Kyrie Irving controlling the offense.

Later, the Mavericks improbably won the previous draft lottery and selected Duke forward Cooper Flagg, boosting hopes for accelerated rebuilding and rapid rise.

However, Davis has been mostly sidelined by injuries this season, playing only 20 games. Irving is still recovering from an ACL tear suffered last March, Leverett was lost for the season after foot surgery in December, and Harrison was fired before Thanksgiving.

Although Flagg has performed well in his rookie season, the Mavericks remain far from championship contenders, and the Wizards face a similar situation.

“Without a clear plan, it’s hard to say I will definitely stay in Washington,” Davis said. “Clearly, the team is struggling right now, and the record speaks for itself. Butas long as key players are added, everything can change. The team’s development is progressing year by year; maybe next year we could be the top team in the East..”

Davis’s agent Rich Paul also stated he will have in-depth talks with Dawkins about the team’s long-term plan. After the trade was completed on Thursday, they had a brief conversation, but Paul said he would not discuss contract extensions with Dawkins or the team management in the near term.

Paul admitted that neither the Mavericks nor the Wizards notified him before the trade was finalized, but he doesn’t consider this a big issue.

“They are not obligated to do so,” he said. “Giving advance notice is just a courtesy, not a requirement. Sometimes these trades happen instantly... Players being traded in the middle of the night is common, and they don’t owe anyone an explanation.”

Paul’s Klutch Sports Group collaborates with Monument Sports & Entertainment, which owns the Wizards, Capitals (hockey), and Mystics (women’s basketball), helping to develop potential revenue opportunities for the parent company. Monument is currently renovating Capital One Arena, an $800 million project started last year and expected to finish before the 2027-28 NBA and NHL seasons. In 2023, Klutch Sports helped Monument secure a partnership with financial services firm Robinhood, making them the Wizards’ jersey patch sponsor.

Additionally, Paul represents the Wizards’ second-year guard Babu Carrington and rookie wing Will Riley. Carrington was one of three first-round picks for the Wizards in the 2024 draft, while Riley’s signing rights were acquired from the Utah Jazz in last year’s draft night trade. On Thursday, the Wizards upset the Eastern Conference-leading Pistons on the road; despite resting several starters in the fourth quarter, Riley scored a career-high 20 points to help secure the victory.

Paul also highly praised the Wizards’ management. “The rise and fall of a team fundamentally depends on its management,” Paul said on a podcast. “Ted Leonsis and Zach Leonsis are among the best executives you can find. The reason I say this is simple: the measure of an owner’s competence is whether they are willing to pay the luxury tax when the team is a championship contender. Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert did it, Warriors owner Joe Lacob did it, and the Celtics did it too.”

Under Leonsis’s leadership, the Wizards have only paid luxury tax once, in 2017, when core players John Wall and Bradley Beal were at their peak and the team advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinalsbut ultimately lost a Game 7 on the road to the Celtics, ending their run. Now, Davis is much older than Wall and Beal were then, with a shrinking career window, so he needs the team to provide a clear and definite future plan.

“At this stage of my career, winning a championship is my only goal,” Davis said. “Whether that happens in Washington or elsewhere, I don’t know yet.So far, their words and sincerity have been impeccable. But now, it’s time for a truly in-depth conversation about the team’s future.”