Scouts question Wizards’ Trae Young, Anthony Davis rebuild

Mar 1, 2026 11:02 AM

The Washington Wizards’ rebuilding plan shifted dramatically following January’s trade for Trae Young and February’s acquisition of Anthony Davis.

Although injuries have prevented both stars from playing so far, adding two multi-time All-Stars has already increased optimism within the organization about next season, writes Josh Robbins of The Athletic.

“We’re already talking about the playoffs, how different it will be,” Bilal Coulibaly said.

“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.”

Still, the outlook from around the league appears more cautious. Robbins reports that four NBA scouts expressed skepticism about whether Young and Davis can significantly change the franchise’s trajectory.

Both players generated limited trade interest before Washington acquired them at relatively low cost, and concerns tied to their games, Young’s defensive struggles, and Davis’ injury history, remain major questions.

“Trae’s defense is of paramount concern,” one scout told Robbins.

“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.”