Is the Washington Wizards’ rebuilding era over? This is a question that all of the team’s fans hope will be a very big “YES” this year.
It seems that the Wizards are off to a solid start on this after their big splash trade for star point guard Trae Young, who is in his eigth season, all with the Atlanta Hawks. Young has averaged 25 points and just under ten assists for his career, which makes him immediately the Wizards’ best player. Normally, when a team trades for a star player, it’s a win-now move, but that’s not necessarily the case for Washington. Young may not play very much this season as he recovers from multiple injuries. This should allow the Wizards’ young players to continue to grow and improve. Next year, having a player like Trae on the team changes things up with his more ball-dominant play style.
“With the trade of CJ and Corey for Trae, the Wizards are now officially the youngest team in the NBA,” Wizards analyst Glenn Consor told me. “I am excited about the level of development I’m seeing with Bilal, Alex, Ky, Bub, Will, Tre, Tristan, and AJ. It seems like they improve every game. It is rare to see this many young players get this many minutes in their first and second seasons in the NBA.”
Some more reasoning for resting Trae and not pushing him back into action is that the Wizards’ first round draft pick is top 8 protected this year, which means that if the team’s pick is higher than number nine, then it would become the New York Knicks first round pick. So the only way that pick is guaranteed to stay in Washington is if they have a bottom 5 record, otherwise it would be up to the draft lottery to see where that pick lands. Washington currently has the league’s fourth-worst record at 10-33.
“Obtaining a player with the accolades and skill set of a Young without giving up draft picks is rare. Great deal for the Wizards. Yes, he needs to get healthy. But he has the playmaking skill set that will make the game easier for the young players, especially Alex, Tre, Bilal, and Ky,” Consor continues.
With the addition of Young and the potential that a high pick is on the way, the Wizards are in decent shape. Add to that a few other bright spots on this young team and the future is positive. The Wizards have only three players over the age of 25, including second-year center Alex Sarr, who was the second pick in the 2025 draft and has averaged over 17 points a game and leads the NBA in blocks with 2.3. Forward Kyshawn George has also been a star in the making. In just his second year, he’s filling up the stat sheet with an average of 15 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists a game while also chipping in a steal and a block per game. Rookie Tre Johnson has also shown that he should be an important piece of the future as his scoring ability is elite.
While the Wizards definitely won’t be competing for a playoff spot this year, the future is very bright. They will be a team to look out for in the 26-27 season as they will only improve and keep building on the good chemistry and young talent they have.
“This is a very strong draft class this year. If the Wizards get lucky and get one of the top players coupled with the strong financial position they are in to secure a strong free agent for next season — this will be a turning point in the rebuild,” said Consor. “I love the direction the organization is going to sustain success.”
