There's no doubt that this season was a pivotal year for the Washington Wizards rebuild.
Nobody expected Washington to turn things around completely, nor did anyone feel the Wizards would be a playoff team one season removed from having one of the worst records in the NBA.
However, the overwhelming belief surrounding the Wizzards was that there would be a realistic chance for Washington to improve on the struggling season they put together last year, especially considering the wave of talent incoming courtesy of general manager Will Dawkins busy offseason.
On the off chance Washington's revamped depth chart put them in position to be a sleeper in the East, the Wizards could be in position to keep the team's roster together, even the veterans like CJ McCollum and Khris Middleton.
Nonetheless, with the team currently sitting at the bottom of the East with a 1-10 record, it's clear that the team will likely be heading towards yet another roster shakeup as sellers prior to the NBA trade deadline in February.
The problem? Washington's veterans are going to make it extremely difficult for them to offload their contracts ahead of the deadline.
For Middleton, the lucrative contract combined with his underwhelming play and injury history at his age will prove to be challenging to offload his deal.
As for McCollum, the guard's inconsistent play is making the team's future decisions more difficult than originally expected.
When landing the veteran guard, the idea was that his play would somehow convince backcourt needy teams to possibly take on the playmakers contract.
Unfortunately, his underwhelming start to the season quickly put those hopes to rest due to his struggles offensively.
Those struggles even added doubt that there would be an avenue in which the Wizards could even buyout McCollum's contract due to the lack of interest the guard may make on the open market, assuming the team couldn't find a desperate enough team to take on his contract ahead of the deadline.
Now, with his recent stretch of huge offensive games, capped off by a 42-point performance against the Detroit Pistons on Monday, it only makes things murkier for the Wizards future.
If McCollum truly can turn things around, Washington could find a deal on the trade market that will allow them to completely move the guard's money off their books.
However, if his ineffecient play returns, the Wizards may be stuck eating some of his contract and being forced to buy him out IF the guard is willing to test the open market.
Regardless, McCollum's inconsistent play is adding an unwanted challenge for the team's looming McCollum decision.