You mean to tell me that the Washington Wizards weren't actively trying to win games last season? All along, I thought they were set on securing a playoff berth, but they stumbled to a 17-65 record instead, so AJ Dybantsa luckily fell into their lap. What Bub Carrington told WUSA9 at media day on Monday implied that they were actually chasing Dybantsa, not a top seed.
Marshall Kramsky of WUSA9 asked Carrington what the Wizards need to do to "flip the script." In his answer, he said the team hadn't yet been told to be the "best version" of themselves. When Kramsky asked him to elaborate, he said:
“We’ve all, in a way, been held back just because, like you said, we were trying to get AJ Dybantsa. That’s no secret. That’s no secret. But now, no one has handcuffs. Everyone’s shackles-free. So that alone is already a conversation starter, but then you put that on top of the coaching, on top of the vets that we have. That’s a playoff team, and that’s gonna happen."
Carrington said what everyone already know
Oops.
Well, Carrington wasn't wrong, as it was no secret, but he shouldn't have said it out loud, either. It was a lapse in judgment, as he explained why Washington is better poised to change the narrative—a moment he probably wishes he could take back, especially if it resulted in punishment for him or the team.
As Sam Amick and Josh Robbins of The Athletic reported on Friday, though, that's not expected to happen (subscription required).
According to a league source, the NBA is not expected to discipline Carrington or the Wizards for his comments. The source spoke under the condition of anonymity because the league has not made a formal statement on the matter.
It probably helps that a new lottery format is in place this season to curb tanking.
There are new anti-tanking rules in place
Washington had a 14 percent chance of getting the No. 1 pick in the 2026 draft lottery because it had one of the three worst records in the league (17-65, the worst record). That structure incentivized teams to tank, hoping for the highest possible percentage at a top pick, though things didn't always work out that way. For the Wizards, it did with Dybantsa.
However, now the "3-2-1 Lottery" expands the lottery to 16 teams (rather than 14) and flattens the odds of getting the No. 1 pick. The three teams with the worst records will get only two ping-pong balls each, which translates to a 5.4% chance at the top pick, while the teams with the next seven-worst records will have an 8.1% chance.
The teams that finish No. 9 and 10 in the play-in tournament will have a 5.4% chance, and the losers of the No. 7 versus No. 8 play-in matchup will have a 2.7% chance.
So, the Wizards can no longer "purposefully" lose games to boost their odds of getting the top pick, which is what Carrington meant by Washington not fully unleashing itself.
The Wizards will be more competitive
Washington traded for Trae Young and Anthony Davis before the February deadline, but the former played only five games before the season ended, and the latter didn't play at all. Both were injured when the trades were made, so that was a legitimate factor, but the Wizards also had no issue with that duo taking all the time they needed to recover.
It worked in their favor because they left the draft with Dybantsa, and while he's the star of their young core, they've surrounded him with veterans like Young and Davis. That's because the Wizards are trying to win.
This season won't look like past seasons, with young players running the show. You won't see G League players taking the floor and playing significant minutes to end the season after rotation players were ruled out with various injuries.
Washington will probably still fall somewhere toward the bottom half of the conference (a lot of it will depend on AD's health), but not the very bottom. Carrington said that the Wizards would be a playoff team, and making that leap in one season would be quite the achievement. At the least, they should make it to the play-in tournament, which would still be a good step forward.
Carrington drew attention to Washington by saying it was trying to get Dybantsa, which he shouldn't have said out loud. But he did anyway. It is what it is. Now, since the league isn't expected to punish him or the team for it, the focus should be on his claim that the Wizards will be a playoff team. Let's see if he can contribute to help back that up.
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