Offseason Looks Bright for Wizards

While the season nears its end, the Wizards front office is in for an incredibly opportunistic offseason. The Wizards are on pace to finish the season with the worst record in the league and one of the worst in franchise history. However, this offseason could be franchise-altering.

With the 2025 NBA draft seemingly having potential stars all over and what could be a decent free agency, this offseason is crucial for Washington. The Wizards will seek to set a new standard as they search for their first winning season in seven years and their first playoff berth since the 2020-21 season.

The 2024-25 season has been a high and low point for this Washington squad. While certainly difficult in terms of record, the franchise has serious potential. The current roster is meshing, and the team will look to add more pieces to become a threat to the Eastern Conference’s top teams.

Current Roster

The Wizards have a roster built for the future. They only have five players over the age of 30 and none above 35. Not only that, but the offseason will give the team more time to develop and mesh together while the younger talent can build on their first season in the league.

The Wizards have started letting the younger guys get more reps and opportunities to make plays since the All-Star break. Kyshawn George has seen an increase in minutes since March began, playing 31.8 minutes through six games. Alex Sarr is averaging more points (13.7), assists (2.4), and rebounds (7.3) while shooting a higher three-point percentage (31.6) since the break. Bub Carrington, while not shooting the best of splits in March, has seen an increase in shots taken and his assist numbers through the six games the Wizards have played this month.

The Wizards have also seen several injuries hinder their roster. Saddiq Bey hasn’t played a single game this season while he’s recovering from ACL surgery. Bilal Coulibaly went down recently with a right hip contusion. Malcolm Brogdon has only played 24 games this season due to injuries, and he’s currently out for an ankle sprain. Sarr, George, Carrington, Jordan Poole, and others have all missed time due to injury this season. The offseason will give everyone a chance to get back to full health. While the roster is still some pieces away from being a true competitor, having everyone back is certainly a step in the right direction.

NBA Draft

With the Wizards competing for the worst record in the league, a top-three to five pick is within reach. However, everyone wants that number one pick and the chance at one of the best prospects of the century in Cooper Flagg. If not Flagg, there are many other players the Wizards could use. Players like Dylan Harper, Ace Bailey, VJ Edgecombe, and Tre Johnson are currently projected to be picked in the top five, according to NBA.com’s mock draft. All five of these guys can instantly make an impact on a team full of guys who are hungry to put Washington on top. A top-five pick secures a player destined for greatness. All of these guys can be weapons on both ends of the floor, and adding that to the youngest roster in the league is certainly appealing to fans.

Free Agency

This free agency has a mix of stars and role players alike, making it one of the more interesting in recent years. Most of the bigger names will be entering with player options like James Harden, Kyrie Irving, and LeBron James, but there are still many players who could come to Washington.

Players to keep an eye on are the guys who have free roam in the market. Guys like Guerschon Yabusele, Malik Beasley, Caris LeVert, and Clint Capela would fill some of the holes that plague the team currently. Capela would fit nicely into the rotation. Capela is averaging one block a game with eight and a half rebounds, with five and a half of those coming on the defensive end. The Wizards rank in the bottom half of the league in rebounds this season; Capela can certainly improve that.

On the offensive side of the ball, Beasley set the Pistons’ single-season three-point record in February. He currently leads the league in three-pointers made (259) and is 14th in three-point percentage (42) this season. LeVert is currently shooting his career high field goal percentage (51) since being traded to the Hawks before the deadline.

Yabusele put himself in the spotlight during the Olympic Games, highlighted by the now-famous poster he had over LeBron James. While his averages don’t jump out at you, he’s a solid contributor on both ends of the court. Shooting just over 50% while averaging 10.5 points a game is great consistency for a guy that didn’t have a roster spot since the 2018-19 season. He’s a great fit for the squad, which needs a real hustler on the court and a glue guy off the court. The Wizards could use his French ties to Sarr and Coulibaly to encourage a signing.

The Last Word on the Wizards Offseason

While this season has been full of disappointment and losing for the Wizards, their offseason will hopefully lay some foundation for the future. The roster will hopefully be fully healthy going into next season. Additionally, the Wizards can go get a future star in the draft and pick up crucial free agents this summer to boost their odds come next year. It should be interesting to see how everything plays out.

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