Grading every Wizards offseason move from promising to pointless

The Washington Wizards’ strategy this summer was largely successful. They locked in on future-facing moves and seem to be finally moving in a positive direction after a half-decade in the wilderness.

The tactics — meaning the individual moves that made up the offseason — were more mixed.

Along with the moves listed here, Washington notably decided not to trade away some of their veterans like Kyle Kuzma and Jordan Poole. Without knowing which, if any, packages were available it is difficult to gauge whether or not that was the correct choice.

The Wizards reportedly tried to move Kuzma at the deadline last February and may try to again if they can bring in a reasonable collection of first-round picks and young talent. Holding onto Poole for the time being makes sense. His value is surely at an all-time low, and he and the Wizards will try to rehab it as much as possible this season. 

Drafting Bub Carrington at #14: A-

Washington most likely moved back into the lottery with the express goal of getting guard Bub Carrington. He is a shifty ball-handler and scorer. The 19-year-old was a late bloomer in high school (Rivals ranked him as the #94 recruit in his class), but shot up boards during his one year at Pitt and in the pre-draft process.

Carrington, a Baltimore native, did most of his damage from the midrange during his collegiate career. But in five Summer League games in Las Vegas, the guard hit almost 36 percent from downtown on nearly eight attempts per game. Developing a long ball will be the crucial part of Carrington’s NBA growth, so his time in Vegas — during which he led Washington’s offense and averaged 15.8 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game — was quite encouraging.

The Wizards' front office gets strong marks here for moving aggressively and getting their guy, and for landing a potential pick-and-roll ball handler who can develop alongside wing Bilal Coulibaly and big Alex Sarr. 

Drafting Alex Sarr at #2: B+

How Washington’s 2024 offseason is remembered will ultimately come down to how Alex Sarr’s career progresses. Making nifty moves on the margin is useful, but nailing the number two overall pick can be franchise-altering.

The 2024 draft was considered to be historically weak at the top, but Sarr was the highest-ranked player on several draft boards. He has the tools to become an exceptional complementary piece, even if the star-level upside may not there in the way that is usually is this early in the draft.

The summer league was mostly rough  — punctuated by an 0-15 performance against fellow lottery pick big Donovan Clingan and the Portland Trail Blazers — but he flashed other important skills, notably as a passer and versatile defensive anchor. He has the talent to be an above-average rim-protector and switch guy, two invaluable skills in today’s NBA.

The other side of the ball may be slower to develop, but Washington should use this season to push him to explore his outside shooting. It will be the key skill for a big man who doesn’t seem to have the ball skills to be a true offensive hub.

Trading Deni Avdija for Malcolm Brogdon, pick #14 in 2024, a 2029 first-round pick, and two future second: B

This is a tricky one to evaluate. Value-wise, this is probably a fair deal. Avdija is on one of the league’s most team-friendly contracts and showed real growth on both sides of the court last season. He should continue to blossom into a nice role player on a good team. That seems roughly equivalent to what should be two middling first-round picks and an expiring contract (the 2029 first-rounder will be the second most favorable out of Portland’s own, Milwaukee’s, and Boston’s).

But even though he is only 23 years old, given where the Wizards are in their rebuild, it is far from guaranteed that he will be a contributor on the next good Washington team, at least not on this contract.

On an emotional level, it was a tough trade for Wizards fans. Avdija is the only successful development process of the decade so far. 

The trade grades out roughly evenly from a value standpoint, but ultimately Washington made the best move for its future. The front office gets a slight uptick because they evidently had their eyes on a specific prospect at 14. 

Signing Jonas Valanciunas (3 years, $30 million): B

Coach Brain Keefe may opt to start Valanciunas at center and ease some of the defensive pressure on Alex Sarr early in the 19-year-old’s career (even Victory Wembanyama was playing at the four for the first few games of his career).

The big Lithuanian can soak up some possessions without dominating the ball for an offense that figures to be among the league’s worst in 2024-25. He can serve as a pick-and-roll partner for Bub Carrington, Jordan Poole, and the rest of the Wizards' point guard rotation.

This is the kind of low-risk, solid-reward move that won’t give the Wizards too many wins as they likely jostle for lottery position in the 2025 draft, but will make life easier for some of the organization’s young talent. 

 Signing Saddiq Bey (3 years, $19 million): B

The Bey signing is definitely a forward-looking one, as the combo forward is expected to miss most of the 2024-25 season as he recovers from an ACL tear. Bey has flashed some potential, especially as a rookie, but at 25 years old, he is close to a finished product.

The price is reasonable, and Bey could be a serviceable backup forward once he is healthy. The money could perhaps have been better spent on re-signing Tyus Jones or bringing in another point guard, but Bey is a good value signing that fits fairly well with Washington’s timeline.

Trading picks #26 and #51 to get #24, select Kyshawn George: B-

Again, Washington gets a slight bump for targeting a specific player and taking the initiative to get him. The cost of moving up two spots — the 51st pick —was fairly cheap. George figures to slot in as a role player off the bench for the time being. He shot over 40 percent from downtown in his one season at the University of Miami. 

Re-Signing Tristan Vukcevic to a two-way contract: B-

Vukcevic has flashed some potential as a stretch big in Europe and during his 10-game NBA career. It seemed like a fait accompli that he would re-up in DC after coming over late last season. Getting him to come back on a two-way contract is a solid piece of business.

Hiring Brian Keefe: C+

Washington defended a little bit better under Keefe, and hiring a first-time, player development-focused coach makes sense for a rebuilding team. But there appears to have been little process in searching for a replacement for Wes Unseld Jr. In retrospect, the Keefe hire may have been pre-ordained last summer, when he was brought on as an assistant, but the lack of serious competition is disappointing nonetheless. 

Re-Signing Richaun Holmes (2 years, $26 million; $250,000 guaranteed in 2025/26): C

Washington maneuvered Holmes’ player option to save them a little bit of cash this season while guaranteeing a tiny portion of his contract for 2025-26. Holmes will likely try to rebuild his value in Washington, but with Valanciunas and Sarr joining him and Marvin Bagley in the big man room, it is unclear if the former Mavs big man will have a consistent place in the rotation this season.

Signing Anthony Gill (2 years, $4.78 million; non-guaranteed for 2025/26): C

Gill is a well-liked veteran who has played his entire career in Washington. Bringing him back at the minimum makes sense, though he is unlikely to affect the on-court product as a pure depth piece. 

Letting Tyus Jones Walk: D+

We may never know how negotiations between Washington’s front office and Jones went this summer or at what number the point would have been willing to re-sign. But if the Wizards weren’t willing to meaningfully beat the 1-year, $3,3 million contract Jones eventually signed with Phoenix, they should have flipped it for whatever they could at last year’s trade deadline. 

Jones, a low-usage, low-turnover point guard who shot better than 40 percent on almost five threes per 36 minutes in his only season as a Wizard would have been a nice fit next to the collection of young talent.

Malcolm Brogdon can serve as a reasonable facsimile, but he only played more than 56 games once in the last five seasons. Jones's departure is not a game-changer by any means, but having him on the roster this season or acquiring him for some kind of asset last February are both preferable alternatives to letting him go for nothing.