The Washington Wizards have a long history of having a star-studded roster. Issue is, the stars they have are rarely at the peak of their powers. Whether they let stars go too early like Ben Wallace or Rip Hamilton or they sign them just a few years too late like the guys on this list, they just can’t find that sweet spot in a player’s career. This has definitely been a contributing factor to their 44-year streak of failing to reach 50 wins in a season. If they can take advantage of a superstars prime, they may be able to put the pieces together to win a championship in the future. With that out of the way, I’ll start with the star who was the least removed from his prime.
Moses Malone made a brief stint with the Washington Wizards
During the early stages of his career decline, Mister Offensive Rebound himself, Moses Malone, made a two year stop with the Washington Wizards, called the Bullets at the time. While he was still an All-Star caliber name at this point in his career, he wasn’t the same 30 points and 15 rebounds per game player he was five years prior. in his two seasons with the Bullets Malone averaged 22.2 points, 11.2 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game while only shooting 46.9% from the floor. Again, great stats, but still a far cry from what he was averaging just a few years before he landed in the DMV. He wasn’t really able to help the Wizards reach new heights though. They only finished with a winning record in one of the two seasons Malone was on the roster. Even then, it was a measly 42-40 record during an era featuring Larry Bird’ Celtics, the Bad Boy Pistons, and Michael Jordan. Speaking of Michael Jordan…
It’s hard to forget Michael Jordan ending his legendary career with the Washington Wizards
In an infamous move to try and gain greater position among the Wizards front office, legend of the sport and at the time undisputed greatest to ever play the game Michael Jordan returned from retirement yet again to join the Washington Wizards. This return from retirement was far less iconic than the initial instance. There was no “I’m back” memo, there was no number 45, and most importantly, there was no three-peat. In fact, the Wizards fell short of the playoffs in both of the seasons Jordan played for the franchise. Despite all the shortcomings and disappointment surrounding this brief era of Wizards basketball, the legendary shooting guard actually put together a pretty impressive box score. albeit still a far cry from what you would expect from Michael Jordan. He averaged 21.2 points, 4.4 assists, and 5.9 rebounds per game with the Wiz. He plummeted his career per game averages across the board and really did not seem like the legend the world was accustomed to. He settled for bad jump shots and just couldn’t dominate like he used to. It was one of the most exciting stints of Wizards basketball, but the long-term ramifications of this move held the team back from reaching greater heights during the subsequent reign of Gilbert Arenas.
Dwight Howard had a short nine-game stint with the Washington Wizards
During his prime in the late 2000s, Dwight Howard was one of the most dominant forces in the NBA. He was a perennial Defensive Player of the Year winner and was consistently in the running for the MVP award. He even led the Orlando Magic to the NBA Finals through an Eastern Conference that featured Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, and the big three Boston Celtics. However, by the time he ended up with the Washington Wizards in 2018, he was already years removed from his final All-Star appearance but had not yet figured out how to be an effective role player. He was incredibly effective next to John Wall and Bradley Beal in the nine games he played, but was still under the belief that he was better than he actually was at the time. He also only played nine games for the team before being traded in the offseason to the Memphis Grizzlies. In his short stint in the DMV Howard averaged 12.8 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 0.4 blocks per game. This season saw him record a career low in blocks per game with his second lowest season being recorded three years later in what was presumably his final season in the NBA. Dwight Howard isn’t the only super star from that era to find their way to the Wizards.
Paul Pierce is another superstar from the 2000s who played for the Washington Wizards
While most will remember Paul Pierce for his time with the Boston Celtics, especially during the big three era, and rightfully so, he also played for a handful of other teams in the final seasons of his Hall of Fame career.
After his one year with the Brooklyn Nets, a trade that cost the Nets Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, and Collin Sexton among other players, Pierce found his way to the Wizards where he was an effective third option behind John Wall and Bradley Beal.
While in DC, the Hall of Famer averaged 11.9 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists per game while shooting pretty efficiently. He added some much-needed scoring depth for the team as he started in all 73 games he appeared in and had some iconic moments in Wizards uniform.
Most notably, he hit a game winner against the Atlanta Hawks in game three of the second round. This was the year that the Hawks boasted four All-Stars in Al Horford, Paul Millsap, Jeff Teague, and Kyle Korver.
Only a few years ago, the Washington Wizards had Russell Westbrook running the point
Yet another star of the 21st century, this time an actual MVP. Russell Westbrook continues the list as he was a few years removed from his absolute peak by the time he was traded to the Houston Rockets and only regressed further by the time he landed in DC.
While he was incredibly effective with the Wizards, averaging nearly 22 points, 12 assists, and 12 rebounds per game on his normal efficiency from the field. He ended up leading the league in assists and triple-doubles with the Wizards. Yes, this was regressing for him.
This was the lowest scoring output he had produced in nearly ten years, his efficiency continued to fall off from the free throw line, and his athleticism was starting to show signs of teetering off.
He started off the season slow as he was rehabbing from an offseason injury and it took him a while to adjust to the new system, but the way he ended the season was just special. He was consistently putting up historic stat lines as he focused on setting Deni Avdija and Bradley Beal up for easy scoring opportunities.
Unfortunately, we have not seen Westbrook get anywhere near this level of production since leaving the Wizards and we likely never will.
Isaiah Thomas joined the Wizards after his MVP caliber play was behind him
The face of the “heart over height” discussion on social media, Isaiah Thomas was one of the most liked players in the NBA during his peak in the 2016-’17 season. The five-foot-nine point guard finished fourth in MVP voting and was the shortest player to ever finish that high.
Fans admired his play as he put it all on the floor every night. Unfortunately, this level of heart and effort is what eventually ruined his career. He played through a nasty hip injury in the 2017 playoffs and it cost him much of his quickness and mobility, a key aspect to his game. While many will blame the Boston Celtics for what happened, he is still the one who made the decision to play.
After bouncing around the league for a few seasons, he ended up with the Washington Wizards where he averaged 12.2 points and 3.7 assists in only 40 games. He was out of the league entirely only two years later.
Ralph Sampson was once one of the league’s best before landing with the Washington Wizards
Once a player who was so valuable that the Houston Rockets turned down a trade featuring Clyde Drexler and a pick that they would have used on Michael Jordan in favor of keeping him, Ralph Sampson’s career took a quick turn for the worst after some nasty injury luck.
After making four All-Star appearances with the Houston Rockets, his team pivoted away from him in favor of the other center on the team Hakeem Olajuwon. A decision that was definitely the right move.
He was traded to the Golden State Warriors where he would see his production sharply decline before moving on to play for the Sacramento Kings and finally the Washington Bullets.
During his 10 games in Washington, Sampson recorded 2.2 points, 3 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks per game at only 31 years old.
He really is one of the biggest injury questions in NBA history.
Mitch Richmond played three of his final four seasons with the Washington Wizards
One of the greatest scorers of his era, Mitch Richmond averaged 20+ points per game every year for the first 10 seasons of his career. He definitely saw his numbers decline as his Wizards career progressed.
His first year in the DMV ended a six-year streak of All-Star appearances while setting a then career low in points per game. He would set a new career low every year he was with the Wizards and just never look like the dominant scoring guard that he was with the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings.
In his three seasons with the Wiz, Richmond averaged 17.8 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game in 34.3 minutes a contest.
After his stint with the Wizards, he would play one more year with the Los Angeles Lakers next to Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant where he won a championship coming off the bench in 2002.
Dave Bing was a legend in the 60s and 70s that saw his career slow with the Washington Wizards
Following nearly a decade of excellence with the Detroit Pistons, Hall of Fame point guard Dave Bing returned to his hometown to play for the Washington Bullets. While there, he saw his numbers decline across the board.
He went from being a no-brainer for the All-Star team and consistently scoring 20+ points and 6-8 assists per game to averaging only 13.7 points, 5.3 assists, and 1.2 steals per game in two seasons for the Bullets.
He is one of the many forgotten stars of the era as players like Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar reign supreme. Even at his own position, Bob Cousy, John Havlicek, and Walt Frazier dominated during his career. Unfortunately, that leaves him as the odd man out when remembering this era of basketball.
Many of the players that the Washington Wizards signed after their prime was over lasted only a handful of games and at most, they lasted three seasons as was the case for Mitch Richmond. If the Wizards can get a star to play their entire prime in DC, they may be able to put together a nice postseason run.