The Washington Wizards have been one of the most active teams in the league this offseason making it a point of emphasis to reshape their roster ahead of the 2025-26 season.
Washington has brought in a healthy mixture of young talent with high-upside and veterans to help lead the young team into battle next season.
One name in particular that stood out of the Wizards offseason additions is CJ McCollum, who the team traded for prior to the NBA Draft earlier this offfseason.
When Washington landed McCollum, it seemed like the move was solely in order to offload Jordan Poole's contract in addition to landing financial flexibility moving forward.
However, there's no way that the team landing Tre Johnson immediately after comes as a surprise.
After the Wizards selected Johnson with the No. 6 overall pick in the draft, the move to land McCollum immediately looked genius.
The veteran guard may not be in his prime anymore, but he's still playing at a very high level considering his age.
Not to mention, his durability compared to the other veterans the Wizards have brought in over the last year is a major improvement.
McCollum will impact winning on the court, but his leadership and savvy playing style on the court is something the Wizards could have been coveting the most about his potential fit next to Tre Johnson as a mentor.
The former LeHigh standout has made a career for himself as an impressive scorer, but his improvement as a playmaker has allowed for him to become one of the best backcourt options in the NBA over the years.
As a great leader and a guard who's learned to adjust his game to be a reliable ball handler during his time with the Portland Trail Blazers and the New Orleans Pelicans, he could be the X-Factor that helps Johnson become a star sooner rather than later.
As we all know about the Wizards reigning lottery pick's game, his scoring ability is unmatched. However, what he lacks as a facilitator could be the lone weakness in his game that forces him to take time to emerge as a star for the Wizards.
Nonetheless, with McCollum serving as a mentor for the Texas product, there's hope that he could help transcend the rookies game immediately and put him in position to thrive right away,.
If that's the case, we will look back on Will Dawkins decision to land McCollum as one of the most underrated moves of the offseason.