The Washington Wizards haven't been shy this offseason in terms of making moves to continue altering their roster ahead of the 2025 season.
Washington started the offseason off with a blockbuster move to acquire CJ McCollum and Kelly Olynyk from the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for Jordan Poole and Saddiq Bey.
Shortly after the move, general manager Will Dawkins followed an impressive draft class by landing former first-round pick Cam Whitmore at a discounted price from the Houston Rockets, who seemingly sent the wing to the team of his choice.
The team's front office continued to work offloading Olynyk's contract to the San Antonio Spurs in exchange for two former first-round picks in Malaki Branham and Blake Wesley.
As a result to the abundance of incoming names, the Wizards were forced to make tough roster decisions which led them ultimately buyout Richaun Holmes, Marcus Smart and Blake Wesley.
From seeming like a team that could be positioning themselves to be a sleeper in the Eastern Conference with a healthy mixture of young talent and veterans, the Wizards recent moves made it clear that the team's future plans still consist of focusing on a long-term rebuild rather than looking to make a push for a play-in spot in 2025.
Washington's roster moves all but instilled a reminder that the team's plans moving forward is to prioritize the youth movement and the veterans on the roster may benefit from leaving their suitcase packed.
With both McCollum and Khris Middleton set to begin the season with the Wizards, it seems clear that Washington is focused on allowing the veterans to boost their value on the trade market with the intent to flip their lucrative contracts to a potentially desperate team seeking a veteran presence.
It's clear that the Wizards are focusing on financial freedom moving forward and if they're able to capitalize on being a team receptive to lucrative contracts in order to flip them for additional young talent or draft capital.
That said, the Wizards will be a team to monitor prior to the 2025-26 NBA Trade Deadline with the likeliness that offloading both Middleton and McCollum's contract will be a priority to flip.
The Wizards are dedicated to evaluating their young core and with the team's front office seemingly set on landing another lottery pick next offseason, it feels almost inevitable that the current vets on the roster will be moved or shut down at some point next season, especially if the Wizards are overachieving.