How the Wizards can have a perfect yet realistic offseason

The Wizards have a chance to turn things around this offseason.
Mar 5, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards forward Khris Middleton (32) and guard Bub Carrington (8) talk during the third quarter against the Utah Jazz at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images
Mar 5, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards forward Khris Middleton (32) and guard Bub Carrington (8) talk during the third quarter against the Utah Jazz at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images | Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images

The Washington Wizards are positioned to have a busy offseason in the coming months.

Washington is currently the frontrunner to earn the No. 1 seed in the NBA Draft with a league-worst 14-51 record. Not only do the Wizards have a multiple picks in the draft, but they also have multiple veterans that they could look to move come draft night.

That said, with many possibilities on the table, here's a look at what a perfect Wizards offseason could look like.

Wizards select Cooper Flagg No. 1 overall

Obviously, there's been concerns that Cooper Flagg will return to college for another season, especially if the Wizards earn the top pick. However, the reports growing the buzz around the Duke star's pending decision hasn't come from his camp, and until it does, Washington and the rest of the league will act with the expectation that Flagg will be available to select.

With the talented playmaker suffering a scare with an ankle injury at the start of the ACC tournament against Georgia Tech, it could come as a reality check for Flagg. At the moment, he's nearly guarenteed to be the top pick barring some unforeseen changes, which could motivate him to bite the bullet and declare for the draft to avoid anything disastrous if he returned to college.

Wizards would get their franchise player to build around.

Trade Khris Middleton & Marcus Smart for draft capital/young players

The time to rebuild is now for the Wizards, and while Khris Middleton and Marcus Smart have proved their value quickly with their experience and knowledge, there's no denying that the two veterans are not apart of the future plans.

As both of the savvy vets continue to showcase they have plenty left to offer contending teams, the best case scenario would be the Wizards taking advantage of desperate playoff teams and moving off of their contracts to position themselves towards the future.

Find a way to offload Jordan Poole's contract

Jordan Poole has seemingly turned things around this season averaging a career-high 21 points per game, to pair alongside his 4.7 assists and 3.3 rebounds. At one time, the Michigan product's inefficient play had him labeled as the worst contract in the league.

However, he's now looked at as a serviceable player with a tradable contract by some teams around the league. Despite that, it doesn't change the fact that he won't impact winning, at least not for the Wizards young roster.

If Washington can find a way to offload Poole's contract, that alone will be a win.

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