It's hard not to consider the Washington Wizards as one of the biggest winners from the NBA trade deadline.
Washington has quietly put together one of the best young cores in the league and with the team's confidence growing in what they've built, the Wizards used the opportunity to take major swings when the right opportunity presented itself.
Brian Windhorst would call this method "The Flip" and regardless of what you want to call it, it's clear that Washington's new front office regime of Will Dawkins and President of Monumental Basketball Michael Winger know exactly what they're doing.
Landing Trae Young for an extremely discounted price of CJ McCollum's expiring contract and Corey Kispert, who many predicted would be moved ahead of the deadline already was a win in its own right.
In addition, the team's maneuvering to land a premiere talent like Anthony Davis by essentially building a package around players and picks that were all assembled from the Bradley Beal and Kyle Kuzma return is the work from a pair of masterminds.
All that to say, it doesn't exactly come as a surprise to see NBA Insider Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints list the Wizards as one of the biggest winners from the trade deadline.
Wizards listed as deadline winner by NBA insider
In a recent post deadline article from Siegel, the Wizards were listed as one of the biggest winners of any team in the league.
"The job Will Dawkins and Michael Winger have done completely reinventing the Washington Wizards roster and long-term outlook is remarkable," Siegel wrote. "Just a few seasons ago, this team was living at the bottom of the league standings, and they were the laughing stock of the league."
"Now, the Wizards have a plethora of young, athletic players, Trae Young will be their point guard next season, and Anthony Davis will be the perfect mentor for Alex Sarr," the insider continued. "Oh, and if you are not aware, the Wizards could end up with the top pick in the 2026 NBA Draft."
It's hard to argue with what Siegel mentioned.
The Wizards are in such a better position than they were just months ago and with a little luck falling in their favor this offseason, Washington could be a force in the Eastern Conference not only next season, but for years to come.
Washington Wizards basketball is on a rise and in due time, the rest of the league will take notice too.