Three Things NBA Preview: Washington Wizards
As I detailed a few weeks ago, I’m once again re-appropriating the Three Things I Noticed on League Pass format to preview the upcoming season. Instead of three things I noticed, it’ll be something more along the lines of three things I’m looking forward to, interested in, or want to see. Some of them might be narrative-based, some might be stats, and some might include video. But they'll all be focused on the 2025-26 campaign.
The schedule for those posts will be as follows (podcasts for each division with Mo Dakhil are in parentheses):
- Sept. 1-5: Atlantic Division (BOS, BKN, NYK, PHI, TOR) (Podcast)
- Sept. 8-12: Central Division (CHI, CLE, DET, IND, MIL)
- Sept. 15-19: Southeast Division (ATL, CHA, MIA, ORL, WAS) (Podcast)
- Sept. 22-26: Pacific Division (GSW, LAC, LAL, PHX, SAC) (Podcast)
- Sept. 29-Oct. 3: Northwest Division (DEN, MIN, OKC, POR, UTA)
- Oct. 6-10: Southwest Division (DAL, HOU, MEM, NOP, SAS)
So without further ado, let's get to the Washington Wizards, who were again one of the worst teams in the NBA but didn't fulfill their lottery dreams of landing the No. 1 pick in the draft.
I (kind of) like what they're doing
I wrote about the Wizards' recent string of moves earlier this offseason. Here'a an except...
Here are the significant moves the Wizards made starting with last year's draft:
- Drafted Alex Sarr
- Traded Deni Avdija for Malcolm Brogdon, 2024 No. 14 (Bub Carrington), a 2029 1st, two future 2nds
- Traded 2025 No. 26 (Dillon Jones) and 2024 No. 51 (Melvin Ajinca) for 2025 No. 24 (Kyshawn George)
- Signed Jonas Valanciunas for 3 years, $30M
- Signed Saddiq Bey for 3 years, $19M
- Traded Jonas Valanciunas for Sidy Cissoko and two future 2nds
- Traded Kyle Kuzma, Patrick Baldwin Jr., and a 2025 2nd for Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson, the rights to Mathias Lessort, a 2028 1st and $1M
- Traded Jared Butler and four future 2nds for Reggie Jackson and a 2026 1st (then waived Reggie Jackson)
- Traded Marvin Bagley III, Johnny Davis and a 2025 2nd for Marcus Smart, Alex Len, Colby Jones, and a 2025 1st
- Drafted Tre Johnson
- Traded 2025 No. 18 (Walter Clayton) for 2025 No. 21 (Will Riley), 2025 No. 43 (Jamir Watkins) and two future 2nds
- Traded Colby Jones and a future 2nd for Dillon Jones
- Traded Jordan Poole, Saddiq Bey, Micah Peavy, and two future 2nds for CJ McCollum, Kelly Olynyk, Cam Whitmore, and a future 2nd
- Traded Kelly Olynyk for Malaki Branham, Blake Wesley, and a future 2nd
So they've added five first-rounders from last year's draft (Sarr, Carrington, AJ Johnson, George, Dillon Jones), and two firsts and a second from this year's draft (Tre Johnson, Riley, Watkins).
Then they turned Avdija, Kuzma, Valanciunas, Baldwin, Butler, Bagley (who has since been re-signed), Davis, Poole, Bey, and Peavy into Brogdon (now with the Knicks), Middleton, Jackson (waived), Len (same), Smart, McCollum, Whitmore, Branham, Wesley, the picks that became Carrington, Riley, and Watkins, and firsts in 2026, 2028, and 2029 and a future 2nd (they brought in nine future 2nds and sent out eight in their various deals).
I gotta say, I like the arbitrage going on here. This is a team going nowhere fast right now, but that is adding a ton of young, cheap talent and stockpiling chances to add more of the same. (I suppose I shouldn't be surprised given that Michael Winger spent seven years in Oklahoma City and then six with the Clippers, while Will Dawkins spent 15 years with the Thunder as well.)
Read the full post here.
