WASHINGTON, D.C. — While conventional wisdom says not to read too much into the preseason, the Washington Wizards' first two exhibition games suggested that they made the right moves over the summer.
In addition to drafting Texas guard Tre Johnson, Illinois forward Will Riley, and Florida State guard Jamir Watkins, the Wizards traded guard Jordan Poole and forward Saddiq Bey to the New Orleans Pelicans for a package including guard CJ McCollum. Dealing the 26-year-old Poole after he set the franchise single-season three-point record for a 34-year-old on an expiring contract isn't a sexy return on paper, but it makes sense for Washington.
Poole and Bey are under contract through 2027, so shedding them cleared the team's books for the 2026 offseason. The Wizards will be $140.2 million under the first salary cap apron with a roster entirely comprised of rookie contracts besides guard Corey Kispert and forward Justin Champagnie, per Spotrac. That'll allow them to offer multi-year deals to free agents in their 20s like Brooklyn Nets guard Cam Thomas (24 points per game last season), Chicago Bulls guard Coby White (20.4 PPG), and Charlotte Hornets guard Collin Sexton (18.4 PPG), assuming they don't re-sign with their current teams before the summer.
Sunday and Monday's preseason games previewed how far along Washington's young core is even without those types of players in the fold. It does have McCollum (21.1 PPG) and 34-year-old forward Khris Middleton (11.9 PPG), who will help keep it in games for as long as they're on the Wizards this year. However, almost all of the long-term pieces already have performances to hang their hats on.
In Sunday's 113-112 loss to the Toronto Raptors, former first-team All-Rookie big man Alex Sarr notched 12 points (4-5 FG, 1-1 3 PT) with eight rebounds, two blocks, and one steal in just 17 minutes. The 20-year-old, who shot just 39.4 percent from the field and 30.8 percent from deep as a rookie last season, was more aggressive inside and played more physically than he did in his first campaign.
Meanwhile, second-year wing Kyshawn George scored 11 points on just 3-14 shooting (1-7 3 PT) but led all players with four blocks and tied Middleton for the team lead with nine rebounds in 25 minutes. The defensive prowess is nothing new for George, as he had six games with multiple blocks from Jan. 30 onward last season.
Additionally, third-year forward Cam Whitmore (9.4 PPG), who Washington acquired from the Houston Rockets over the summer, has 17 points on 7-11 shooting (2-3 3 PT) over 27 minutes across the two games, and Riley led the bench with 17 points (7-11 FG, 1-4 3 PT) in Monday's 120-103 win over the New York Knicks. The rookie also hit two free throws to give the team a one-point lead with 0.8 seconds left on Sunday.
The Knicks sat their starters, but these performances are still encouraging for an organization that is banking on long-term development. Suppose the aforementioned players along with former second-team All-Rookie guard Bub Carrington and two-time Rising Star guard Bilal Coulibaly (thumb) maintain an upward trajectory. In that case, the Wizards will be competitive next season and beyond (barring injury) after adding 2026 free agents and rookies to the group.
Bub Carrington names key improvement for Kyshawn George
Other than Trade Deadline acquisition AJ Johnson, George was Washington's only first-round rookie not to earn Rising Star honors last season. However, this year might be a different story. The 21-year-old has built on his second-half improvement from his rookie campaign by notching 22 points (6-20 FG, 2-8 3 PT) with nine rebounds, five assists, and four blocks over 37 preseason minutes thus far, and that's after averaging 17 points on 41.2 percent shooting across two Summer League games.
Carrington spoke about what George has improved on recently after practice on Oct. 8.
“Being himself. In my opinion, he wasn’t bad at anything. The only thing he was bad at was knowing he’s Kyshawn George,” the Pittsburgh University product said. “Like bro, go hoop. I think he’s getting really good at that now, being more confident. It'll be a very big season for him.”
I asked Bub Carrington what Kyshawn George improved on recently:
“Being himself. In my opinion he wasn’t bad at anything. The only thing he was bad at was knowing he’s Kyshawn George. Like bro, go hoop. I think he’s getting really good at that now, being more confident..” pic.twitter.com/Zt0zEQbDcA
— Joshua Valdez (@joshvaldez100) October 8, 2025
George struggled out of the gate as a rookie, shooting under 40 percent from the field each month until passing that mark in February, March, and April. The 6-foot-8, 200-pounder also doubled his average points, blocks, and steals during that period despite playing a similar amount of minutes.
Based on his recent performances, the confidence George gained from last season's improvement looks to be carrying over into this year, as Carrington mentioned. A Year 2 breakout for the former Miami Hurricane would be another feather in the front office's cap, which acquired him from the Knicks on Draft night in 2024. Washington traded the No. 26 and 51 overall picks for George, who was the No. 24 pick.
Any non-lottery pick becoming a key rotation piece is a win, but the Switzerland native must keep proving himself as the Wizards' young hoopers compete for minutes. The club will conclude the preseason with a road game against the Detroit Pistons on Thursday before opening the regular season against the Milwaukee Bucks on Oct. 22.
