Wizards expect bigger things soon with Trae Young, Anthony Davis

The Wizards accelerated their rebuild with January and February trades for Trae Young and Anthony Davis.

Neither has suited up yet because of injuries, but their presence has already shifted the conversation inside the locker room.

“We’re already talking about the playoffs, how different it will be,” forward Bilal Coulibaly said, via The Athletic’s Josh Robbins. “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.”

Around the league, skepticism remains.

Multiple scouts questioned whether the additions alone will fix Washington’s issues, particularly on defense.

“Trae’s defense is of paramount concern,” one scout told Robbins. “He’s coming to a team that’s horrific defensively by the numbers. You can’t be that bad defensively and think you’re just going to get better overnight.”

The same scout noted Davis’ injury history.

“AD’s not the AD he was three, five or seven years ago,” he said.

Washington believes star power can jump-start its timeline. Others are waiting to see if it translates to wins.