The Washington Wizards’ offseason got off to a slow start, but they have gotten quite busy ever since. The offseason Wizards are showing up in the NBA Summer League out in Las Vegas, and the front office has swung some opportunistic, forward-thinking moves in the meantime.
NBA pundits have begun singing the praises of the Wizards’ decision to move in a decisive direction, and rightfully so. It is admirable the way this new front office has turned around what was widely viewed as one of the worst situations in the NBA over the better part of the past decade.
One crucial piece is still missing, however: a true franchise player. I’ve been on the record extensively praising the Wizards’ young core as a group of future elite role players, and I do not foresee a large number of future All-Star selections among this core.
Below, I’ve categorized every team in the NBA by where they stand with their franchise player.
Set up for success now and later:
San Antonio Spurs — Victor Wembanyama
Denver Nuggets — Nikola Jokic
Milwaukee Bucks — Giannis Antetokounmpo
Los Angeles Lakers — Luka Doncic
Minnesota Timberwolves — Anthony Edwards
Oklahoma City Thunder — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Indiana Pacers — Tyrese Haliburton
Cleveland Cavaliers — Donovan Mitchell
Houston Rockets — Alperen Sengun (plus Kevin Durant)
Dallas Mavericks — Cooper Flagg
New York Knicks — Jalen Brunson
Orlando Magic — Paolo Banchero
Boston Celtics — Jayson Tatum
Detroit Pistons — Cade Cunningham
Better player, lofty win-now ambitions:
LA Clippers — Kawhi Leonard
Atlanta Hawks — Trae Young
Golden State Warriors — Stephen Curry
Better player, bleak future:
Phoenix Suns — Devin Booker
Sacramento Kings — Domantas Sabonis
Philadelphia 76ers — Joel Embiid
Charlotte Hornets — LaMelo Ball
New Orleans Pelicans — Zion Williamson
Miami Heat — Bam Adebayo
Toronto Raptors — Scottie Barnes
Memphis Grizzlies — Jaren Jackson Jr.
Utah Jazz:
Utah Jazz — Lauri Markkanen
This list does not at all mean that I think all these teams are in a better situation than the Wizards.
The Suns, for example, are trapped in one of the bleakest situations upon which I’ve ever had the displeasure of laying eyes (despite having a top-15 player in Devin Booker on their roster). Similarly, Bam Adebayo is the best player on the Heat, and although he’s a great player, the floor and ceiling of an Adebayo-led team are level with one another.
The Jazz are a unique case where their best player, Lauri Markkanen, is an All-Star caliber player who is a Shams Charania trade Tweet waiting to happen. Just about every aspect of Utah’s roster beyond Markkanen (and the recently-drafted Ace Bailey) inspires little confidence.
Three teams are further behind the Wizards in their search for a franchise player: the Chicago Bulls, Portland Trail Blazers, and Brooklyn Nets.
Chicago appears on track to delusionally hitch their wagon to Josh Giddey as their franchise player and commit to 35-40 wins per season. The Blazers are a top-to-bottom collection of elite role players, but who is the jersey-selling name on that roster? And the poor Nets have maybe three-to-five NBA-caliber players on their roster.
So the Wizards are in a good spot, especially considering they’re still searching for a franchise player. Could that be the recently-drafted Tre Johnson?