Anthony

Davis

Davis was cleared for light contact last week as the Wizards tried to ramp up the 33-year-old center for a return, but just ran out of time. With Davis this close to returning, he should have a normal offseason and be ready for the start of next year.

Washington continues to pretend that Davis has a chance to suit up this year. He’s progressing, but with less than two weeks left in the season, he isn’t going to make his debut for the Wizards until October. His recovery is going well, and there is no reason to think he won’t be ready for the start of next season.

Davis is currently out with ligament damage in his left hand and was traded to Washington despite the injury. He recently met with Dr. Steven Shin, a hand specialist, and was cleared for the limited return to practice. The Wizards released a statement that Davis will be re-evaluated in two weeks, at which time they will have a clearer timeline of when, or if, he can return to the court this season.

Davis, who suffered ligament damage in his left hand in early January, is progressing in his recovery. However, the Wizards’ forward/center still has not been cleared for basketball activities. For fantasy managers who can afford to take their chances on Davis being active at some point, he’s worth holding onto in an IL slot. That said, managers in leagues where the playoffs will begin before Davis’ re-evaluation will have to seek alternatives.

Two days after NBA insider Chris Haynes reported that Davis was unlikely to play again this season, Dawkins said that he anticipates the forward/center returning at some point. In the short term, Davis will return to Dallas to work with his medical team as he recovers from ligament damage in his left hand. Dawkins also noted that the 4-to-6 week timeline provided in mid-January is closer to 6-to-10 weeks. If Davis were to play this season, the timeline suggests he won’t be available until sometime in March.

With the Wizards likely focused on doing all they can to avoid losing their 2026 first-round pick, which is top-8 protected, to the Knicks, Davis not making his debut for the team until next season would be an unsurprising development. It was reported in mid-January that Davis’ left hand injury wouldn’t require surgery to repair the ligament damage. Will he go through with the procedure now that it’s reportedly been decided that Davis won’t play this season? For fantasy managers who have been stashing Davis in an IL spot, it’s time to move on.

The firsts include the Thunder pick in 2026 and a protected Warriors pick in 2030. Davis is set to be re-evaluated in late February, but managers shouldn’t expect to see him play much down the stretch as the Wizards look to improve their lottery odds. However, Davis joins Trae Young and a talented young core in Washington, and they should add another top pick this summer. Davis will form an elite defensive tandem down low with Alex Sarr that should allow Washington to return to the postseason as early as 2027, assuming they plan to keep him around.

This is an update from a previous report from Charania that indicated that AD would likely undergo surgery and miss several months. Davis took to social media to say those reports were false, so it isn’t surprising that Charania provided an updated timeline. This will have Davis being re-evaluated in late February, which makes a trade far more likely. Until that happens (or doesn’t), Daniel Gafford should start at center.

Shams also notes that the Mavericks have renewed trade talks for Davis, and he could be moved to a contender before the deadline, which would shorten his return date and get him established with a new team. This latest development means we may have seen the last of Davis in a Dallas uniform, ending one of the shortest and most bizarre runs in recent memory. Davis has appeared in just 29 games for the Mavericks after the improbable blockbuster deal that swapped him for Luka Dončić. Fantasy managers holding onto Davis can safely drop him to free up a valuable IL spot, as he’s not expected to be back prior to the postseason, if at all. Daniel Gafford should continue to soak up minutes at center, though given his injury history, Moussa Cisse should see a fair share of minutes, too. Naji Marshall and PJ Washington will be heavily involved in the rotation, and all three of Cisse, Marshall and Washington are worth snagging off the waiver wire if available.

Davis injured his left hand during the fourth quarter of Thursday’s loss to the Jazz. According to Charania, a second opinion on the injury’s severity will be sought. If surgery is required, Davis could miss “a number of months.” If surgery isn’t needed, Davis may be looking at a six-week timeline at least. With the Mavericks’ forward/center being the subject of trade rumors, an extended absence would likely put those to rest. As for Dallas’ approach to the rest of the season, losing Davis could affect Kyrie Irving’s return from the ACL tear he suffered last March. Dallas’s first-round pick in June’s draft is the last one that they’ll have complete control over until 2031, so the front office could decide that punting on the rest of this season is in the franchise’s best interest.