The Washington Wizards enter next season with high hopes but little to no expectations.
Washington is in an interesting position heading into next season considering the team has several avenues they can go down looking at the current outlook of the roster general manager Will Dawkins has built.
The Wizards have added several high upside players to an already young roster with the likes of Cam Whitmore, Tre Johnson and Will Riley landing in the DMV this offseason.
In addition to the young players, Washington managed to pair two of the best veteran leaders in the league together in CJ McCollum and Khris Middleton, who will serve as mentors for the Wizards heading into next season.
If Washington finds themselves in the bottom half of the standings once again this season, things could be worse, especially considering there wasn't any expectations for a winning season.
Nonetheless, if the Wizards find themselves surprising and in contention for a play-in spot, it's safe to say the fanbase and the front office would be more than happy with that result.
All that to say, with no expectations, it's hard to know exactly what to expect from a young Wizards roster who has the talent to surprise, but have plenty to prove.
However, just because there's no way to expect what product the Wizards put on the court, ESPN's Bobby Marks made it clear what to expect from the team's front office.
Wizards will be a team to watch in three-team trades
ESPN's Bobby Marks shared some trade notes ahead of the NBA season on Monday and in the midst of his preseason primer, the Wizards were mentioned as a team to monitor to be involved with any potential three-team deals.
"The Hornets, Jazz and Wizards are teams to watch either in a three-team trade or a deal taking back salary," Marks said. "Charlotte and Washington each has its $14.1 million non-tax midlevel exception to use in a trade. Utah has an $18.4 million trade exception"
This doesn't come as a surprise when looking at just how aggressive the Wizards have been on the trade market over the last year.
Washington is making it a point to position themselves with financial flexbility moving forward, but they're also prioritizing adding young talent and additional draft compensation.
The Wizards will be a team that is not only looking to get involved in trades, but to help facilitate deals for their own benefits as the season looms.