Replacement of old and new! Core three + first-round pick! Outlook for the Wizards’ new season!

Compared with last season, the Wizards have gained a lot of new generation strength through the 2025 draft and trade operations, and the lineup has become significantly younger. The main team is almost all young faces under the age of 25.

From this perspective, the Wizards' goal for the new season is still to train new players, but for the Wizards, reconstruction cannot be endless. The upcoming 2025-26 season is likely to be an important watershed for the Wizards to decide their future direction.

As for the draft picks, the first round sent in the Wall trade has been transferred to the Knicks, and the top eight picks will still be protected until 2026. This is also the last year of protection. If it is not fulfilled by then, it will directly become a second-round right in 2027. In addition, there is the Suns' 2026 first-round swap obtained in the Saddiq Bay transaction, but the conditions are complicated and the pick is also affected by the opponent's record. Even if the Suns are in a semi-rebuilding state, the depth of the lineup is still better than that of the Wizards, and it is still difficult for them to use this pick to get a higher pick.

Right now, the Wizards have not yet shaken off reconstruction, and the new players have not yet fully grown up. 2026 is also a big year for the draft. If you work too hard, the final result is likely to still be just a play-off, but it will lead to the first round in vain; instead of losing more than you gain, it is better to have a solid year and polish the system. This is the focus of the new season.

First, let’s take a look at the offseason lineup changes:

Team roster: McCollum, Trey Johnson, Will Riley, Cam Whitmore, Dylan Jones, Malachi Branham ;

Departure list: Poole, Holmes, Brogdon, Saddiq Bay, Smart

Based on this team, the starting lineup is expected to be Carrington, McCollum, Keshawn George, Coulibaly, and Sarr.

From a team perspective, the Wizards' offensive system still focuses on high-position support and player rotation, without a fixed ball-controlling core. The future upper limit still depends to a large extent on Sarr's growth. Last season, he averaged 13 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.5 blocks, and 0.7 steals per game, but his three shooting percentages were only 39.4%, 30.8%, and 67.9%, and his offensive efficiency was still low.

The 69% shooting rate under the basket is acceptable, but the shooting rate outside the paint area is only 36%. The confrontation ability is insufficient. Low singles and face-to-face confrontation are also shortcomings. The three-point shooting rate is only over 30%, which also limits the Wizards' offensive space. On the Summer League stage, Sarr gradually showed some moves in the penalty area, but to truly become the end point of the offense, physical confrontation and shooting stability also need to be further improved.

Specially considering Sarr's health status, the team's depth in the penalty area is still weak. Although Bagley and Vukocevic can be rotated, the former suffers frequent injuries and the latter has limited playing time, making it difficult to completely replace Sarr's tactical position.

From this perspective, how Sarr maintains his health in the new season will also be the key to determining whether the Wizards' offensive and defensive system is stable.

Another focus after Sarr is veteran McCollum.

He previously said at the team's media day:

"I think this will be the best year of my career so far!"

At the age of 33, he is at the junction of career peak and decline. The new season is also a contract year. This will be an important season for him to fight for the last big contract of his career. In the past ten seasons, he has averaged 21.5 points, 4.2 assists and 4 rebounds per game, and his three-point shooting percentage is close to 40%. This kind of game value is still very critical for the team's space and offensive finishing.

The second veteran comes from Khris Middleton.

Compared to McCollum who is in the immediate combat stage, Middleton is facing a career test. Last season, he averaged 10.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game, and his three shooting percentages were only 41.3%, 27.7% and 86.8%. Facing a contract that is about to expire, his value is still in a fluctuating stage, and it is difficult to give a prediction answer in advance.

For these two, although they are both expiring veterans, their team positioning is different. The former aims to pursue a new big contract after the contract expires, while the value of the latter lies more in the inheritance of experience and maintenance of health. From a team perspective, the Wizards may still put him on the trade shelf in the middle of the season.

With the exception of McCollum and Middleton, who occupy 63 million in space, most of the players on the team are on rookie contracts. If the lineup remains stable, nearly 90 million in salary space can be released in the 2026 offseason to supplement potential green leaves or free market resources.

In addition to veterans, the Wizards introduced a lot of young potential in the offseason, such as Trey Johnson and Will Riley in the first round of the 2025 draft, Watkins in the second round, as well as Whittemore and Dylan Jones acquired through trade. This group of new players are all under the age of 25 and need to wait for opportunities in the new season.

Then there is Carrington, the first-round pick acquired in the Avdija trade. In his rookie season, he averaged 4.4 assists per game, second only to Poole on the team.

has begun to show his ball-handling potential in a large number of rotation systems, but his ability to break through and finish at the basket is limited. Defense is still the more urgent task at present. With a height of 193cm and a wingspan of 203cm, he has obvious innate advantages. However, due to the immaturity of the Wizards' defensive system, defensive decision-making still needs to be strengthened.

Combined with the position of the team, there is a lot of competition in the backcourt and forward positions for the Wizards in the new season. Coulibaly, Carrington, Keshawn George and others who had slightly more experience last season also need to face the impact of young players. Instability in offensive shooting is still a problem. Newcomers such as Trey Johnson and Whittemore have outstanding talents. The new season will be an important window for them to verify whether they can stand on the NBA stage.

The most crucial one comes from Coulibaly.

The new season is the third year of his career and he is about to face the issue of contract renewal.. However, due to injuries in the European Cup, Koulibaly will miss the early games of the season. There is a high probability that Trey Johnson or Middleton will replace the starting vacancy. This is also an opportunity to verify the newcomer's ability.

Of course, this is also a dangerous signal. The low shooting efficiency last season obviously limited his stable offense. If there is no significant improvement in the new season, subsequent contract renewal matters will be greatly affected. The Wizards had invested a lot of energy in him before, which was both pressure and an opportunity for him.

Finally, there is the coaching team. The new season is Brian Keefe’s second year coaching the Wizards, and the team is still at the bottom of the rebuilding process. The young lineup lacks experience, and the playoffs are not the goal. The focus is still on establishing a team culture and teaching newcomers in accordance with their aptitude.

In summary, the Wizards' new season will still focus on rejuvenation and training, and the team's offensive system will continue to focus on rotation and support. Senior players such as McCollum, Sarr, and Carrington are the key, and young rookies have yet to be discovered.

From a long-term perspective, the Wizards' goal for the new season is still not the playoffs, but more about playing steadily and preparing in advance for the 2026 draft and the free market.