Remember when, last December, ESPN's Shams Charania said that the Detroit Pistons were "expected" to be a trade suitor for Anthony Davis, who was in Dallas at the time? You should, because you probably had a strong opinion about it. Rather than go to the top team in the East, the Mavericks traded AD to one of the worst, and now, the Wizards are weighing his future with their organization.
Davis became extension-eligible yesterday (Aug. 6). As Josh Robbins of The Athletic reported, Washington wants to hold off on talks about a potential deal until the season (subscription required), after it hopes to have a sample size to go off of.
The Wizards traded for AD in February, but he didn't suit up for them before the season ended (how much would he really have helped Detroit in the playoffs?). Injury issues have been and will continue to be a problem for him. If you put his injury concerns aside, it would be a lot of fun to see him in Detroit, but it's impossible to do that. We don't live in a dream world.
Washington did it anyway, even with the unknowns of Davis' health overshadowing the deal, and now, the Wizards are rightfully holding off on committing to him long-term.
Pistons were right to stay away from an Anthony Davis trade
After Detroit didn't make a trade for a star before the deadline, the belief was that this offseason would be when Trajan Langdon would make his big move, even more so after the Pistons came up short against the Cavaliers in Game 7 of the second round of the playoffs. Here we are in August, still looking ahead to when that splash will happen.
The Pistons could've made a short-sighted Davis trade in an effort to capitalize on their rank as a top team in the East, banking on him helping Detroit win a title now, but that would've been way too much of a gamble, especially when you factor in his extension eligibility.
Let's say that if the Pistons traded for him and, like the Wizards, wanted to wait to discuss an extension during the season, they saw the results they hoped for from Davis, leading to a multi-year deal. He's a player who you literally have to hold your breath while watching every single time he steps on the court. He would've compromised Detroit's future.
Yes, that means if Washington and AD decide that what's next for him is a trade, not an extension, Detroit shouldn't try to make something happen, no matter how tempting it might be, because of his two-way dominance when he's healthy. Those last three words are key.
The Pistons have enough to deal with in terms of contract negotiations when it comes to Jalen Duren, and they didn't need to tack on to that by weighing Davis' future, too. That's a Washington problem.
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