The Washington Wizards made a pair of sensible moves, then watched the timing turn against them.
Before landing the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, Washington’s decision to trade for Trae Young made sense. So did the Anthony Davis deal. The Wizards were tired of living at the bottom, and in a league where things can flip quickly, trying to build a more competitive team is hardly a mistake.
The problem is what came next. After spending so long rebuilding through youth, the Wizards now have a very young core built around Young and Davis, and Dybantsa only adds to that. That leaves Washington facing an awkward reality: it’s about to pour major money into Young and Davis when the better move might have been to wait and use that money around Dybantsa and the rest of the young group.
The Young contract is being called bad, and the reasons are clear. Washington gave him far too much money for a player who has struggled defensively and hasn’t won at the highest level in five years.
None of that means Young is not useful. He is a good player and a good playmaker, and he should help Dybantsa in the short term by creating easy scoring chances.
But under the current CBA, especially with the second apron looming over team-building decisions, overpaying is a dangerous mistake. That’s the bind Washington has put itself in.
The same warning applies if the Wizards give Davis a huge extension. He’s still a good player, but his injury history makes a big financial commitment risky.
If Washington had skipped the Young and Davis trades this past season, the roster picture might look better right now. The Wizards would still have Dybantsa, Alex Sarr, Tre Johnson, Kyshawn George, and the rest of their young talent. Just as important, they’d be carrying a much cheaper roster instead of tying up money in two veterans while one of the league’s best young stars leads the way.
So the logic behind the trades was real. For a team stuck in the middle of nowhere, trying to recover value by making aggressive moves is smart. Young and Davis should help the Wizards win more games.
But Washington’s luck showed up after it had already tried to manufacture its own. That’s what makes this feel like the right idea at the wrong time.
In Other News...
Former Wizard Just Put Washingtons Offseason Plan Under The Microscope
Former Wizards forward Montrezl Harrell has put Washingtons offseason approach back under the microscope, and not in a flattering way. The roster has already been the subject of plenty of discussion because of the mix of established names and younger pieces, with projections floating possible starting lineups and bench roles around players such as Trae Young, Anthony Davis and AJ Dybantsa.
What makes the situation especially interesting is how much of Washingtons outlook still rests on fit and development rather than certainty. The team can talk about talent all it wants, but the real questions remain whether the pieces make sense together and whether the front court and overall depth can hold up long enough for the Wizards to make real noise in the Eastern Conference. [Read more 🡒]
Tre Johnson Is Suddenly At The Center Of A Wizards Debate
The Wizards have spent the offseason reshaping their roster around Trae Young and first-round pick AJ Dybantsa, but the conversation around the teams backcourt and wing spots has quickly widened. Tre Johnson has become part of that discussion because of the scoring versatility he brings, and because Washington appears to view him as a useful piece in a rotation that still has room to change before opening night.
Johnsons value goes beyond any single role, which is why he keeps coming up when the Wizards talk about lineup options and spacing. The expectation is that he can help from multiple spots on the floor, giving Washington another offense-minded option as it tries to sort out who fits where. Even with the roster taking shape, the debate around Johnson is really about how soon his play forces the issue and how much flexibility the Wizards want to keep in reserve. [Read more 🡒]
Jerry Stackhouse Never Expected This Wizards Role With Michael Jordan
Jerry Stackhouses time in Washington came with a different dynamic than he had envisioned when he joined the Wizards. In conversations with former teammate Kwame Brown, the tension around roles during Michael Jordans tenure has resurfaced as part of the franchises modern history, a reminder that Stackhouse arrived expecting to be a central offensive figure and found a much different hierarchy once he got there.
Even as Stackhouse led the Wizards in scoring in the 2002-03 season, the team never translated that production into a playoff berth, and his numbers slipped after Jordan retired. The larger story around that era still hangs on how the roster was supposed to function, and how quickly those expectations gave way to friction once the season started unfolding. [Read more 🡒]