The Washington Wizards entered the 2024-25 season facing an identity crisis. They added three promising young players in the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft, but still had holdovers from a failed approach that left the team's vision in flux.
Rather than allowing a stubborn commitment to a struggling vision to derail their newfound momentum, the Wizards have officially moved on from past mistakes.
Washington committed to an intriguing future when it acquired former NBA champions Kyle Kuzma and Jordan Poole. Unfortunately, the duo struggled to jell and the Wizards ultimately fell short of expectations, winning just 33 games over the past two seasons.
After parting ways with Kuzma ahead of the 2025 NBA trade deadline, the organization has legitimized its commitment to rebuilding by shipping Poole to the New Orleans Pelicans.
The New Orleans Pelicans are trading CJ McCollum, Kelly Olynyk and a future second-round pick to the Washington Wizards for Jordan Poole, Saddiq Bey and the No. 40 pick, sources tell ESPN.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 24, 2025
A mountain of work still needs to be done, but the Wizards are quietly trending in the right direction with bold and essential moves to protect their future.
Wizards officially move on from the Kyle Kuzma and Jordan Poole era
There's no way around how talented the Wizards' core players were, but the flaw in the design permeated the organization. Defensive consistency was nowhere to be found, shot selection was as putrid as it comes, and the team's identity was virtually nonexistent beyond individual talent.
Whether fair or foul, Washington needed to move on from the old guard in order to build something new—and they've officially done exactly that.
The Wizards didn't just swap Kuzma and Poole for pennies on the dollar, but invested heavily in culture-changing veterans. During the 2024-25 regular season, they added NBA champion Khris Middleton in a supplementary role and brought in former Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart.
Kuzma and Poole have won titles, as well, but Middleton and Smart were the type of veteran locker room leaders whom the Wizards were lacking.
It was a continuation of the efforts that began during the 2024 offseason, when the Wizards acquired veterans Malcolm Brogdon and Jonas Valanciunas. Wins were still tough to come by, but that steady commitment to changing the identity in the locker room has begun to pay dividends.
Washington ranked 23rd in defensive rating after the trade deadline—a considerable improvement over placing 29th prior to it.
The film reflects the statistical progress, as the Wizards played with far more engagement on the defensive end of the floor with Middleton and Smart. It was a promising sign that their core of young players were finally receiving the guidance they needed to avoid the negative tendencies that plagued their previously failed vision.
By moving Poole for respected and tradable veterans such as CJ McCollum and Kelly Olynyk, the process has been completed—and a new vision can officially be committed to.