With the regular season in the rearview, the Washington Wizards have an offseason full of roster decisions ahead. The team will look not only to build through the draft but to make smart trades as well, collecting assets along the road to building a title contender.
When approaching trade talks this offseason, it will be key for general manager Will Dawkins to properly evaluate the pieces the team has and understand which are expendable and which should remain off the table.
Despite the ugly record, there were several players who made notable progress towards becoming effective NBA scorers and defenders for Washington this season. These players should be made untouchable in trade discussion this summer as the team works to assemble the right team to return successful basketball to the District.
Bilal Coulibaly
No surprise here; the Wizards' 19-year-old forward is an untouchable member of this roster. After an impressive rookie season, which unfortunately came to an abrupt end in March after he had been discovered to have fractured his wrist during a game against the Chicago Bulls, Bilal Coulibaly has cemented himself as a cornerstone piece for what the Wizards' new-look front office is working to build.
The development Coulibaly underwent between his NBA debut in October and February when he became a routine starter for Washington was a strong example of his coachability and potential in this league. ESPN's Zach Lowe listed Coulibaly as an honorable mention for his All-Rookie team predictions, describing him as a strong defender with more juice on offense than other defensively-inclined players in his class.
When he returns from his recovery process, the 6'6" forward projects to be a key member of the Wizards' rotation. As a French native, Coulibaly has spoken about the possibility of joining NBA stars such as Victor Wembanyama and Rudy Gobert on France's national team during the Olympics. Bilal has said he will choose between participating in the Olympics or playing for the Wizards' Summer League team in Las Vegas.