The Washington Wizards haven't appeared in the playoffs since the 2020-21 season, and even then, many would argue they didn't deserve a postseason bid then.
After outlasting the Indiana Pacers in the NBA Play-In Tournament, Washington boasted their 34-38 record to the playoffs all to receive a gentleman sweep by the top seeded Philadelphia 76ers.
Following that failed postseason run, Washington opted to move on from star guard Russell Westbrook and that was just the beginning of the dominos to fall in the team's eventual decision to press the restart button.
Fast forward a couple seasons later, the team officially moved on from long-time franchise cornerstone Bradley Beal initiating the long-awaited and much-needed rebuild.
Fortunately, the team's hiring of new front office regime general manager Will Dawkins and President of Mounmental Basketball Michael Winger put them in the perfect position to completely alter the franchises future in a matter of a couple years.
Now, with one of the most talented young cores in the league and a new superstar duo of Trae Young and Anthony Davis, Washington is prepared to end cap off their rebuilding phase this offseason with the golden opportunity to land a top draft prospect to join the team's future plans.
Still, finding themselves at the bottom of the NBA standings, it remains unclear just how long it'll be until the Wizards find themselves back in the postseason; at least unclear to fans.
According to third-year man and former lottery pick Bilal Coulibaly, a return to the playoffs may be on the horizon.
Bilal Coulibaly reveals Wizards playoff plans
Based on recent comments from Coulibaly, expectations for Washington's roster next season is already extremely high.
When asked about next year's Wizards team, Coulibaly made their future plans crystal clear:
"We are already talking about the playoffs," the French product said.
Considering the bold swings for Young and Davis, it doesn't come as a surprise to hear the team envisions the 2026-27 season as a realistic goal to return to the postseason.
Washington has assembled an extremely talented core, with Alex Sarr, Kyshawn George and Tre Johnson coming to mind. In addition, versatile talents like Coulibaly, Will Riley and even newly signed players in Tristan Vukcevic and Jamir Watkins prove just how deep the team's core is.
With a superstar duo leading the way and the chance to add even more talent this offseason, the Wizards goals don't seem as far fetched as they may have been to start the season.