The Washington Wizards are finally doing this (and it is years too late)

The Washington Wizards have not played a truly meaningful basketball game since losing Game 7 of their second-round playoff series to the Celtics in 2017. And ever since they closed the door on the exciting but ultimately disappointing John Wall-Bradley Beal era three years later, the organization has been stuck in basketball purgatory — content to tread water and fight for playoff (or play-in) appearances with no apparent urgency to contend in the long-term.

This summer, that has finally changed.

The Wizards finally have a plan to contend long-term

The first signs of that fresh start came in the summer of 2023 when Washington hired Michael Winger and Will Dawkins to lead its new front office and finally moved on from Beal, albeit many months — if not years — too late. But it was still difficult last season to watch Wizards and see anything resembling a future.

A series of mishaps by previous leadership meant that the Beal trade had netted very little in terms of premium future assets and the roster was otherwise mostly bereft of promising youth, hampered by years of chasing wins and subseqeuntlly drafting in the back half of the lottery instead of the front. 

Last year’s first-round selection, Bilal Coulibaly was the only notable prospect; the only player fans could envision on the next good Wizards team. And veterans like Jordan Poole and Kyle Kuzma soaked up many possessions, which was good for Washington’s eventual draft position, but didn’t allow any of the youngsters to explore their potential as playmakers. 

This summer, Washington moved aggressively to secure three first-round picks. They grabbed French big Alex Sarr with the second overall pick; traded former first-round choice Deni Avdija to move back into the lottery to select scoring guard Bub Carrington; and then moved up again to take sharpshooter Kyshawn George toward the end of the first round. 

It is impossible to know if any of these picks will pan out. The 2024 draft class was widely considered to be among the weakest this century, particularly where top-end talent is concerned. Sarr’s performance in the summer league was not particularly encouraging, but the draft-day maneuvers demonstrated a front office willing to take risks like trading Avdija, one of their predecessor’s few successes, to fulfill their vision.

Washington will have to strike the very difficult balance that challenges any rebuilding NBA team. They must build an ecosystem that permits prospects to excel without carrying too heavy a load while still encouraging them to explore their potential as creators and take risks on the court.

By that standard, this summer was by no means perfect. Kuzma and Poole are still on the roster, and both are ball-dominant, score-first players who don’t fit the archetype of pass-first point guard, off-ball shooter, or rim-running bigs who can make young players’ lives easier without taking too much off the table.

Washington let Tyus Jones walk for nothing after failing to trade him at last year’s deadline and did not replace him with a point guard who could fill his shoes.

Jonas Valanciunas, who signed a 3-year, $30 million deal with Washington, was potentially a move in the right direction. He can grab offensive rebounds, set hard screens, and ease the pressure on Sarr, who will likely not have to play too much at the 5 in his rookie season.  

This will be a long process, but Winger, Dawkins, and new permanent head coach Brian Keefe are all alums of the Oklahoma City Thunder, one of the NBA’s most successful recent rebuilds. 

If one were to make a list of the NBA teams they were most excited to watch in the upcoming season, the Washington Wizards would have likely ranked near the bottom of that list for at least the past half-decade. This season, they may be finally gradually moving up those rankings.