The Washington Wizards are deep in the rebuild trenches - and right now, that means stacking losses. They've dropped nine straight, and their last win?
That came just before they shipped out CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert to the Hawks, signaling a clear shift in direction. This isn’t a subtle slide - it’s a full-on nosedive toward the lottery.
And it’s working. Washington has now leapfrogged the Pelicans (whose first-round pick belongs to the Hawks) in the race for the best lottery odds next year.
For a front office playing the long game, that’s a win in the short term. But there’s a wrinkle in the Wizards’ master plan - and it’s coming straight from the league office.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver has been tightening the screws on tanking. The league isn’t just frowning on it anymore - it’s dishing out real consequences.
Back in 2018, Mark Cuban got slapped with a $600,000 fine after openly admitting it was in the Mavericks’ best interest to lose. Fast forward to last season, and the Mavericks - ironically - ended up winning the lottery, but only after injuries to Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis derailed their postseason hopes.
Silver publicly praised Dallas for not tanking, emphasizing they were trying to win until injuries forced their hand.
Whether you believe that’s just a coincidence or something more, one thing is clear: the league is watching. And it’s not rewarding teams that are actively trying to lose.
That brings us back to Washington. As much as they’ve embraced the tank, there’s an elephant in the room - or maybe more accurately, a 6-foot-1 flamethrower of a point guard - getting healthier by the day.
Trae Young.
Assuming he’s cleared after the All-Star break, the big question becomes: when does he actually return to the court? Because make no mistake, Trae is not the kind of player you can quietly slide into a tanking roster.
He’s a walking bucket, a floor general who can flip a game - and a season - on its head. If he’s out there, the Wizards have a real shot at winning games.
And that’s not exactly what the front office is aiming for right now.
But here’s where things get interesting: Trae has just as much incentive to play as the Wizards might have to keep him sidelined. This is a player with something to prove.
He’s heard the whispers - that he’s a system guy, that his success was tied to Atlanta’s structure. Now he has a chance to show that he is the system.
That, like James Harden in his prime, he can drag a team to wins on sheer will and skill alone.
If Trae gets back on the floor and starts racking up wins, it doesn’t just help his reputation - it helps the Hawks, too. Remember, Atlanta owns the Pelicans’ pick.
If Washington starts winning and leapfrogs New Orleans in the standings, that pick suddenly becomes more valuable. It’s a rare scenario where both Trae and the Hawks could benefit from him suiting up in D.C.
So what happens next? Does Washington keep their foot on the tanking gas pedal, or do they let Trae loose and risk a few too many wins down the stretch?
That tug-of-war between player and front office could define the second half of the Wizards’ season. And while the losses may be piling up now, the real drama is just getting started.