The Washington Wizards rebuild has seemingly been going on for nearly a decade and part of that is solely because of the team's reluctance to actually press the restart button when they needed to.
Washington hasn't been a winning organization for much of the last 10 years and in large part because the front office couldn't find the right formula to build a contending team during the prime years of their star studded duo of John Wall and Bradley Beal.
By time the Wizards finally came to a realization that it would be wise to move on from their backcourt stars, the value was low and the return showed that.
However, Beal and Wall weren't the only players the Wizards held on to for too long.
Between the team botching Kyle Kuzma's value and giving Kristaps Porzingis up for minimal return, it's clear that several factors have come into play when discussing why the Wizards are behind schedule.
Washington's fanbase is tired of losing and eventually, ownership will be on the same page.
Nonetheless, with the team finally landing several intriguing young prospects over the last few offseasons, including their aggressive moves over the last few months, the fanbase seemed to hope that the Wizards could be a sleeper in the wide open Eastern Conference this season.
Part of the optimism came from newcomer Cam Whitmore's irrational confidence, but considering the moves and revamped depth chart, it's easy to see why fans think they could be nearing the time where the Wizards shifted their focus from rebuilding to winning.
Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be happening anytime soon, especially following Will Dawkins' comments to the media on Wednesday morning,
GM Will Dawkins: "Roster-wise, we're still in the early stages of the rebuild. This offseason we decided to lean into the youth movement more... we like the unpredictability and the competition it's going to bring."
— Chase Hughes (@chasedcsports) September 24, 2025
Dawkins saying that the Wizards are in the "early stages" of their rebuild isn't exactly what the fans hoping the end was near wanted to hear.
However, the writing has been on the wall. Washington's rebuild will continue until at least one of their young players emerge as a cornerstone for the team.
Right now, without a solidified building block on the roster, it's hard to see Washington even remotely declaring they're nearing the end of the rebuild until they find out what kind of prospects they have on the roster.
That doesn't mean Washington can't be a surprise team this season, especially if they have the luxury of a player finally breaking out.
Instead, it means that the Wizards rebuild is far from being over no matter how you look at it.