The Washington Wizards have already been eliminated from playoff contention, and their 16-58 record is the second-worst in the NBA. Yet, Washington has one of the brightest futures of any team in the league. The feeling is because the Wizards have a young, developing core predicated on five first-round picks over the past two years.
The Wizards also have high odds of landing a top-3 pick in this summer’s NBA Draft and a plethora of draft picks acquired in its most recent fire sale of low-performing veterans. Meanwhile, two veterans acquired in recent trades are tasked with guiding the young core.
One of those veterans, Khris Middleton, sees the seeds in place for making the Wizards a playoff team sooner. Middleton, who has a $34 million player option for the 2025-26 season, believes if he returns, the Wizards could be a playoff team next season.
“I think this team could definitely be a playoff team,” Middleton told Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. “I think if you give us a full offseason and give us a full season together, with the improvement of the young core, it will be huge — I think they can take a big step because of the way they work., how talented they are, and how smart they are.”
Wizards building solid foundation towards competing
The Wizards have built their core under the front office of President of Basketball Operations Michael Winger and General Manager Will Dawkins. In 2023, Washington drafted Bilal Coulibaly in the first round following a draft trade with Indiana. They then landed No. 2 overall picks Alex Sarr, Bub Carrington, and Kyshawn George in the first round of the 2024 draft.
In February, Washington acquired 2024 first-round pick A.J. Johnson from the Milwaukee Bucks and Middleton in a trade for Kyle Kuzma.
Sarr is second in scoring among rookies with 13.1 points per game. He also averages 6.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.6 blocks in 59 games. Carrington is second among rookies with 4.1 assists. He is also averaging 9.1 points and 4.0 rebounds. George is averaging 8.6 points and 4.3 rebounds. George is the fastest Wizards player to make 100 three-pointers.
Meanwhile, Coulibaly averaged 12.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 3.4 assists in year two — all surrounding leading-scorer Jordan Poole, who Washington acquired in 2023 from the Golden State Warriors.
The Wizards have had their ups and downs this season. They swept the season series with the Denver Nuggets. Yet, they surrendered 162 points to the Indiana Pacers on Thursday night. Through the growing pains, the team’s potential is glaring.
With a top-3 pick likely on the way, they’ll add the likes of Cooper Flag, Ace Bailey, Dylan Harper, or Derik Queen to a blossoming core.
Middleton spent 12 seasons with the Bucks, winning an NBA championship in 2021. Poole was an integral part of the Warriors’ 2022 NBA championship. Mixed all together, the Wizards indeed will be looking to compete for a playoff spot in 2025-26.
