The Washington Wizards are Building Something Special

The Washington Wizards are Building Something Special

Over the last decade plus, this Washington Wizards organization has consistently been at the bottom of the Eastern Conference. They’ve continuously been one of the worst teams in the NBA, but I believe that there is hope and reason for optimism in the nation’s capital because I believe in this young core. And I actually believe in what this front office and this coaching staff is going to be able to do with their young core and the pieces that they’ve put into place. Because if you look at the way that this Washington Wizards organization has been able to develop this off season and the way that they’ve had quietly one of the best off seasons in basketball, this is a team that really in a couple of years should be ultra competitive. If these players continue to ascend and develop into the players that they’re capable of going in, this Wizards team has one of the best young cores in basketball. They have a bunch of great fundamental building blocks to build around and some franchise cornerstone pieces and I am extremely excited to talk about why I believe in this Washington Wizards organization so much for the foreseeable future. Now, let me just say first and foremost, I don’t think going into this season that the Wizards are going to be some playin team. I don’t think that they’re going to sneak up on anybody, but I do think that they have a very nice influx of veterans who can help develop and mentor a ton of these young guys. I think that they have a promising influx of a bunch of young elite 3 and D wings, a lot of guys who can score the ball consistently on a night in and night out basis. And I just believe that they have the perfect combination of veterans and young promising players. That’s going to make this team very interesting and one of the most fun young teams to watch in the NBA alongside some other great young cores like the Orlando Magic, the Utah Jazz, the Portland Trailblazers, the San Antonio Spurs, the list goes on. Now, the first thing that I really want to dive into when talking about this Washington Wizards team is the offseason moves, some of the additions and losses that they’ve had this off seasonason. And let’s go ahead and talk about it because I briefly mentioned it, but I do believe that this is a team and an organization that has quietly had one of the best off seasons in the entirety of the NBA. Now, the biggest move for the Wizards this off seasonason was when they traded away Jordan Pool, Sadique Bay, and the 40th overall pick, which turned into Micah Pevy, to the New Orleans Pelicans for CJ McCullum, Kelly Oolen in a 2027 second round pick. Kelly Oolen just a couple of weeks later, was later traded to the Spurs for Malachi Bronnum, Blake Wesley, and a 2026 second round pick. Now, when you talk about this Jordan Pool trade, I thought that this was a win-win trade for both organizations. Not only do the Pelicans now get a guy in Jordan Pool who can be a franchise cornerstone piece maybe alongside Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy, Herb Jones, and a lot of other great young pieces that they’ve got in New Orleans. But when you look at it from Washington’s perspective, they had to get off of Jordan Pool’s contract. They drafted Trey Johnson. They needed to get off of Pool’s contract, which like I said was extremely expensive. And this team was just going in a different direction. Jordan Pool, I think, plays a lot better as a third or fourth option. like we saw him be extremely successful like he was in Golden State. Jordan P did not need to be the guy metaphorically speaking in Washington. And Washington honestly did a great job of now getting a veteran in CJ McCullum who’s not only a proven bucket getter. obviously still one of the better three-point shooters in this game, but more importantly, he can develop the young guys, establish a culture, and he’s on an expiring contract as I believe that the Washington Wizards are expected to have over a$100 million in cap money for next off season, which means that they can be big-time spenders in next year’s free agency. Now, another big splash for the Wizards this off seasonason was when they acquired Cam Whitmore, guard from the Houston Rockets in exchange for two second round picks. I believe it ultimately went into a three-team trade, but I’m not going to sit here and break that all down right now. The Wizards landing Cam Whitmore, I believe, at just 21 years of age was a huge trade because this is a lowrisk, highreward type of situation. Cam Whitmore never truly got the opportunity to flourish and showcase his talents in Houston under Eime Udoka. This was a team that had exceeded all expectations last year as a top two seed in the Western Conference and Cam Whitmore could not get the proper development and playing time in order for him to showcase those talent. But this is now a fresh opportunity and a new start in the nation’s capital where Cam Whitmore is now going to have an opportunity to really solidify himself potentially as a bonafide six-man of the year candidate. He’s a guy who can still score on all three levels. His motor does need to be a little bit better defensively speaking, but everybody knows that Kim Whitmore has the scoring capabilities to be an effective three-level scorer. Everybody can see it on tape that he has the athletic ability to go up and down the floor consistently if Cam Whitmore can continue to refine his skills and his game. I think that this could be a huge swing and a huge, you know, grand slam hit for the Washington Wizards as they can get a young, promising, developing piece who never really got an opportunity to showcase his talents in Houston. And I think that this is a great low-risk, highreward type of situation for the Washington Wizards. Just want to take a moment to say if you are appreciating this type of work and coverage from me, the best and easiest way to support me is by liking, commenting, and subscribing down below. It’s free and it helps me and the channel out tremendously. My goal is to get this channel up to 10,000 subscribers by the end of the calendar year. And if you guys want more exclusive content from me outside of just here on YouTube, you guys can go ahead and follow me on my socials. The links to all of them will be in the description down below. But thank you guys again and let’s go ahead and get back to today’s video. The Wizards also bought out the contract of Rashawn Holmes and Marcus Smart this off season. Marcus Smart then later signed with the Los Angeles Lakers, I believe, on a 2-year 1 million contract. And although I would have loved to have seen Marcus Smart stay on this roster to be alongside guys like Chris Middleton and CJ McCullum to like I said establish a certain identity and culture and to just really help mentor those guys. I understand that guys like Chris Middleton, CJ McCullum and Marcus Smart. Those guys want to be on championship caliber rosters at this point in their career. And obviously Marcus Smart is going to make a lot more of an impact with the Los Angeles Lakers comparatively speaking to the Wizards, but they’re able to move off of his contract, open up more cap space, and this is ultimately going to help this team in the future outlook for generating more cap space. The Wizards also brought back former Washington Wizard Marvin Baggley on a one-year $3 million contract. We all know Marvin Bagley has not lived up to the hype since being selected with the number two overall pick in the 2018 draft, but Marvin Baggley, if he finds a role within this team and can even just be a productive 10-minute guy off the bench, I think that’s something that you’d be willing to take. He’s obviously a seasoned veteran at this point in time. He’s not the most efficient player. He’s not the greatest player, but he can still be a decent stretch for in a pinch if need be. And where the Washington Wizards really had their bread and butter and I think that they won the off seasonason with a culmination of everything else that they’ve done was through the draft. They selected Texas guard Trey Johnson with the sixth overall pick. They also selected guard from Illinois’s Will Riley as well as in the second round Jir Watkins guard from Florida State fourth year guard. I think that they did a terrific job in this year’s draft because they already have a great amount of talent in terms of their wing players, but now they’re going to get guys in the back court with guys like Trey Johnson, who I think was the best shooter in this year’s draft, and I think he’s going to be a terrific player. I’m glad that they didn’t take the risk with Jeremiah Fierce cuz I’m personally not a believer in him. Trey Johnson is going to be an immediate great three-level scorer, and if he can continue to just be a little bit better defensively, we all know he has work to do on that end. he can be a very good and productive player at the next level. Will Riley, I think, still has a ton of work to do, but as a five-star recruit coming out of high school, he looked like a very good player at the University of Illinois in his freshman season playing alongside Casper Yakuz. And I think that he has a ton of promise. And then with a player like Jir Watkins, he’s somebody at 6’7, a guy who had a ton of experience in college. I believe he was a fourthyear guard at Florida State. He has a ton of size. He has all of the variables and traits that you’d love to see. I think he’s going to be on a two-way contract going back and forth from the G-League to the NBA, giving himself an opportunity to continue to develop and refine his skills. But overall, when you land guys like Will Riley and Trey Johnson, two guys who I think have tremendous potential, especially coming off the bench where they’re not going to be asked to be the guy day one, and those were just home run selections for the Wizards organization from both Trey Johnson and Will Riley. And the only other notable offseason loss for this team is with Malcolm Brogen, who is still a pending free agent as I record this video. I guess Brock could come back on a very cheap deal if need be. I doubt that the Wizards are going to bring him back, but that’s probably the only other notable offseason move that I probably haven’t mentioned is Malcolm Brogden still being a pending free agent. And that now transitions me into talking about this Washington Wizards organization. really from top to bottom when you talk about their organizational structure from their general manager in Will Riley. You talk about their president of basketball operations in Michael Winger and head coach Brian Keefe who I think that all three of those guys who have played an integral role in part into the construction of this team and now the development of this team. The jury is still out on them because those guys were brought in in 2023. head coach Brian Keefe. He’s now going into his second full season as the head coach of this Wizards organization. And we know it goes without being said, the Washington Wizards have struggled to find a head coach that can have sustained success in this organization. For context, they have not had a head coach with a 500 plus record since Bernie Bickerstaff did it in the 1997 through 1999 seasons. And to be frank, that is honestly sad. But it just goes to show that Wizards fans have not had much hope and have not had a ton to cheer about because even guys like Scott Brooks, who was a very good coach and had some success here and there, they haven’t had a head coach in the 21st century with a 500 plus record. But I’m not going to continue to sound like a broken record. Now, as I mentioned earlier, this Washington Wizards team has done a terrific job of not only setting themselves up with great young players this season that have veterans to lean on and to have mentorship with, but they’re now going to have a ton of cap space for the future moving forward as are projected to have over $100 million in cap space next season. And that is without even discussing the sizable trade exceptions that they have at their disposal to make additional moves if they see fit. Now, here’s one of the most interesting things when you look at the Washington Wizards this upcoming season and their ability to not only develop a winning culture and try to establish that with a young core, but they also want to make sure that they’re not too competitive this season and that they are still tanking because this, of course, is not a team that’s going to make the playoffs. This is not a team that is going to just surprise everybody this off season. They want to ensure that they can keep their first round pick this upcoming season as they need to land it in the top eight. So, let me go ahead and break it down for you. And shout out to my guy Josh Robbins at The Athletic, the beat reporter for the Washington Wizards and the Orlando Magic. We miss you at the Orlando Sentinel. But Josh Robbins does a great job of breaking this down. So, let me go ahead and share the details. Stemming from a trade made almost 5 years ago, the Wizards owe the New York Knicks either a protected 2026 first round pick or a pair of second round picks. For Washington, losing that first round pick could be disastrous. Parting ways with second round picks in 2026 and 27 would hurt, but would be a less painful outcome. Washington will keep its 2026 first round pick if it falls within the draft’s first eight selections. Because of how the annual draft lottery works, the Wizards would guarantee a top eight pick for themselves and therefore keep the pick if they finish the regular season with one of the league’s four worst records. If the team ends the season with the fifth worst record, then it would begin to risk losing the pick in the lottery. So, this season is going to be extremely important for the direction of this Wizards organization because they have the right pieces in place because I do believe that Brian Keefe is ultimately the right head coach for this job, especially with this young core. They can start trying to be more competitive. They will be more competitive this season, but they also still have to ensure that they are going to tank and give themselves an opportunity to land inside that top eight and make sure that they don’t give up that first round pick to the New York Knicks next year’s draft. And when you look at this Washington Wizards team, they are the second youngest team in terms of average age. I believe that the Brooklyn Nets are the only younger team in the NBA. And this is a great young core, especially in those first 9 to 10 man rotations that I am extremely excited about. If you’re a Wizards fan, you’ve got Bub Carrington at 20 years old, CJ McCullum, Chris Middleton, Balak Hulabali at 21, Alex Sar at 20 years of age, and then off the bench, you’re going to have guys like Trey Johnson at 19, Cam Whitmore who’s 21, Cory Kisper, Keshan George, Tristan Vousvich, and then even further into the bench, you’ve still got solid players like AJ Johnson, Marvin Bagley, and Malachi Bronnham. So, this is now a team that has a great influx of young players. They have the draft capital to make moves if necessary. And they have the ability to be big spenders in next year’s free agency. And now at this point of the video, I really just want to touch on their young core and some of the pieces I believed in. I’ve already talked about some guys like Trey Johnson and Cam Whitmore. So I’m not really going to dive too deep into them, but really looking at this starting five, I think their big three and the guys that you’re going to significantly build around are guys like Alex Sar, Balah, Kulib, and Bub Carrington, who I think have all shown tremendous promise in their own ways. Alex Sar as the former number two overall pick showed as a big man who has incredible touch around the rim. He obviously can space the floor, knock it down from three. He’s a terrific screen and roller and he still has that interior presence on the defensive side of the ball. Great court vision, has a very good feel for the game. And I think once he continues to just add more mass and strength to his size and frame, he can be a dominant Jaylen Duran type of player who I think has more of an outside game. I think he’s going to be extremely physical on the board. And that’s not me trying to lowball a guy like Alex Sar. I think he’s going to be a terrific player and athlete for a very long time. It’s just still going to take time at still such a young age. But there was a ton of flashes and promises especially in the back half of last season where you saw Alexar really started to put it together. The player like Balok Kulabali, he’s probably my favorite young player in this court because he has shown to be an elite. Let me make sure I say that. He has shown to be an elite wing defender and I think he is going to be one of the best wing defenders in this game for a very long time. He has the athletic ability. He has the lateral quickness and movement and the instinctions to be a great defender at this level for a very long time. He has the wingspan. He has the athletic ability. And he’s also shown on a consistent basis that he can be a very good scoreer. Same thing with Bub Carrington. All of these guys have shown a ton of promise. Bub Carrington is obviously a freak athlete at his size and frame coming out of the University of Pittsburgh. I think all three of those guys have shown the ability to be very good NBA players at such a young age. And really just with those three guys, I think that there’s so much room for growth and opportunity for them to continue to refine their skills, continue to grow together, build that chemistry and that continuity. And I think Brian Keefe is going to have to be that man that’s going to have to continue to develop them and make sure that he’s establishing the right winning culture in Washington with those guys. I don’t think I could say enough great things about those three players in specific. But overall, if you’re a Wizards fan or someone who’s just an absolute basketball junkie like myself that loves watching young cores, especially when they’re first trying to learn and develop and grow, you are absolutely going to love this Washington Wizards team this upcoming season. And I’m excited to watch the team at the nation’s capital this year because there is so much promise. There’s still so many question marks about the way that this team can operate. Yes, they’re going to need more shooters eventually, but they have the young pieces. They’ve got a great influx of veterans. They’ve got the young promising building blocks. And I’m excited to watch this Washington Wizards team. And I truly believe that when you look at some of the best young cores in basketball, the Washington Wizards need to be thrown into that mix because I truly believe that this organization is finally trending in the right direction. And this Wizards team is going to be a hell of a team to watch next year as just a young and fun competitive team in the Eastern Conference. But thank you guys so much for watching today’s video and all of your continuous support. It doesn’t go unnoticed. If you guys want more exclusive content from me outside of just here on YouTube, you guys can go ahead and follow me on my socials. The links to all of them will be in the description down below. But thank you guys again and as always, I’ll catch youall on the next one. [Music]

The Washington Wizards have been stockpiling draft capital and young talent for years now, and I believe in the direction of this organization with all of the pieces that they have. #washingtonwizards

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