It's been a long time coming, but the Washington Wizards are finally headed in the right direction. The franchise had been on a dark path since getting bounced out of the first round in 2017-18, as the Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis contracts prevented it from rebuilding. Instead, it spun its wheels in mediocrity until its regime change in 2023, hiring Will Dawkins as GM and Michael Winder as President of Monumental Basketball, which manages the Wizards, Mystics, and Capital City Go-Go (G-League).
Since then, Washington has slowly re-directed into a team with a path to greatness in the future, starting with the Beal and Porzingis trades last year. Now, its three-man draft class, headlined by second-overall pick Alex Sarr, joins Bilal Coulibaly and Corey Kispert to form a promising young core.
However, the squad also has a respectable group of veterans to both lead the starting lineup and audition for contending teams as they heighten their trade values. This year, Jonas Valanciunas, Malcolm Brogdon, and Saddiq Bey were the key additions on that front.
To summarize, here are all the main names that have entered and exited the organization this summer:
Additions:
Jonas Valanciunas
Alexandre Sarr
Bub Carrington
Saddiq Bey
Malcolm Brogdon
Kyshawn George
Losses:
Tyus Jones
Deni Avdija
In Limbo:
Landry Shamet
How have the additions counteracted the losses?
The Wizards took several steps forward this summer
On the surface, it was surprising to see Valunciunas sign a three-year, $30 million deal with Washington instead of a contending team, as he was one of the top centers on the market. However, the Wizards may be playing the long game with a possible sign-and-trade, via Heavy's Sean Deveney.
“It is a really smart [signing] because it got him paid at a time when there were just not that many spots available—it's musical chairs and if you do not get one of the first slots now with the new rules, you're screwed,” an NBA executive told Deveney. “There's not as much flexibility. But this gets you paid, and the team paying you can say, ‘Hey, we'll get you to a contender when the time comes.' You see it in baseball all the time, a guy who signs with a bad team just to be traded later, and you’re going to see more of it in our game.”
The New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers, and Golden State Warriors are all in play for the 32-year-old's services.
“'The Knicks, we’ll see how their center spot develops,' one NBA exec told Heavy Sports last month, adding the Lakers as a contender for his services,” Deveney continued. “‘The Warriors, if the (Lauri) Markkanen thing does not work out.'”
Markannen since agreed to an extension with the Utah Jazz, solidifying the Dubs as a player in the Valunciunas sweepstakes. Washington could get a sizeable trade package for the native Lithuanian essentially out of thin air, as he would've only been on the team for a few months and was always unlikely to stick around long-term.
Meanwhile, Sarr made headlines for building a brick house in this year's Summer League, but showed promise defensively, on the glass, and even with his passing. Carrington was the standout, though, leading the team with 15.8 points and 5.2 assists per game. The Pittsburgh alum's 7.4 rebounds were second only to Sarr's 7.8. George also contributed 9.4 points per game on 51.7% shooting.
George already looks like a big win for the Wizards, as they traded veteran guard Deni Avdija for Brogdon, the pick they used on George, and multiple other future picks. BBrogdonis another veteran that could eventually be turned into more draft capital, as well as Jordan Poole and Kyle Kuzma.
However, nailing next year's draft will be the most crucial part of the rebuild, via Sports Illustrated's Derek Parker.
“So far in their rebuild, Washington has added a few long-term contributors in Sarr, Bilal Coulibaly, Bub Carrington, and more in the project column. But the 2025 draft — which experts think is armed with as many as five top talents — is going to be the pièce de résistance to the team’s rebuild,” Parker said. “Names like Cooper Flagg, Ace Bailey, Dylan Harper and more would immediately send the core to the stratosphere in terms of potential talent. And the Wizards are sure to be in the mix for those names with their 2024-25 product. But on the flip side, missing out on that group, or missing on a pick, could be catastrophic to turning the corner as a winning franchise.”
Adding one of the above players, who are all projected 2025 lottery picks, could be the last step towards becoming a contender for the first time since the John Wall days by the end of the decade. Sometimes, a transition of power in the front office can do wonders for perpetually mediocre organizations.
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