{"id":194490,"date":"2026-05-10T11:47:57","date_gmt":"2026-05-10T15:47:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=194490"},"modified":"2026-05-10T11:47:57","modified_gmt":"2026-05-10T15:47:57","slug":"wizards-offseason-needs-draft-capital-and-trade-candidates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2026\/05\/10\/wizards-offseason-needs-draft-capital-and-trade-candidates\/","title":{"rendered":"Washington Wizards Offseason: Needs, Key Free Agents, Draft Capital, Ideal 2026 Draft Pick, and 4 Trade Candidates"},"content":{"rendered":"

While the Washington Wizards<\/a> have publicly said that they plan to be competitive in 2026-27, they still have plenty of questions to answer in the offseason.<\/p>\n

Washington Wizards Offseason: Needs, Key Free Agents, Draft Capital, and Trade Candidates<\/h2>\n

Washington made major plays at the February trade deadline with the acquisition of Trae Young<\/a> and Anthony Davis<\/a>. Still, the Wizards finished with the worst record in the NBA at 17-65, marking the third straight season that they won fewer than 20 games. The Wizards have not made the NBA playoffs<\/a> in six seasons, and last posted a winning record since 2017-18.<\/p>\n

Granted, the Wizards were the second-youngest team in the league<\/a> and dealt with numerous injuries, with only four players appearing in more than 60 games. The Wizards used 26 different players, with Young appearing in just five games, while Davis didn’t suit up at all.<\/p>\n

Washington finished the season ranked in the bottom third in offensive rating and last in defense.\u00a0 While the Wizards need to improve their shooting — finishing 21st in the league in effective field goal percentage — their biggest deficiencies are on defense, rebounding, and turnover rate.<\/p>\n

There were some positives. Alex Sarr<\/a> and\u00a0 Kyshawn George<\/a> took a step forward in their development despite nearly missing half of the season. Sarr was much more efficient offensively and one of the best shot blockers in the game this season. He also registered 12 double-doubles, which is two more than last season.<\/p>\n

Bilal Coulibaly<\/a> and Bub Carrington<\/a> continued their improvement in year 3.\u00a0 Meanwhile, Jaden Hardy<\/a> finally showed that he can be a regular rotational player in his short stint after coming over from Dallas.\u00a0 Tre Johnson<\/a> and Will Riley<\/a> showed flashes as rookies, specifically as scorers.<\/p>\n

The Wizards have 14 players under contract for next season with salaries totaling $174.6 million. Thus, putting the Wizards’ $9.6 million over the cap for next year. They are $26.3 million under the tax and $47.3 million clear of the second apron.<\/p>\n

Anthony is the Wizards’ only unrestricted free agent. Young ($48.96 million) and D’Angelo Russell<\/a> ($5.96 million) hold player options. Meanwhile, Justin Champaigne’s<\/a> deal is nonguaranteed for $2.6 million, and Jamir Watkins is a team option ($2.15 million).<\/p>\n

Champaigne has established himself as a valuable contributor off the bench. He is a good rebounder and a nearly 50% career field-goal shooter. His contract doesn’t fully guarantee until January 10, but expect him to be on the team unless traded.<\/p>\n

Photo Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images via Reuters Connect<\/span><\/p>\n

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Wizards Needs and Decisions<\/h3>\n

Young and Davis are expected to be around despite trade rumors surrounding the 33-year-old former Maverick center. Young has a decision to make, though: either opt in or sign a contract extension.<\/p>\n

“Young is eligible to sign a three-year, $156.9 million extension until June 30, with the first year of that deal replacing the player option for next season,” ESPN’s Bobby Marks said<\/a>. “Young could also opt in and sign an extension after free agency begins, delaying the start of a new contract until the 2027-28 season. Young could also decline the option, signing for less but with the benefit of up to five guaranteed years.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Davis has a $62.8 million player option for next season. He is extension-eligible for next, but is eligible to sign a four-year extension on August 6,\u00a0with the first year of the extension replacing the $62.8 million player option for 2027-28.<\/span><\/p>\n

With a healthy Young and Davis, the Wizards will certainly improve on both ends of the floor. But the Wizards will need to add some more 3-and-D wings to be really competitive. They could also use a steady veteran playmaker behind Young.<\/p>\n

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Draft Capital<\/h3>\n

Washington has three draft picks in 2026<\/a>. The Wizards guaranteed themselves a top 5 pick in this year’s draft by losing 26 of their last 27 games.\u00a0 The Wizards have a 14% chance of obtaining the top overall pick in Sunday’s lottery. They also have a 13% chance of picking second and third, a 12% chance of picking fourth, and a 48% chance of ending up with the fifth pick. Additionally, they own two second-round selections, No. 51 and No. 60.<\/p>\n

Overall, the Wizards have at least 16 future draft picks between 2026 and 2032. The Wizards own seven future first-round picks, including two in 2029, and either nine or 10 second-round selections. In 2028, the Wizards own Denver’s second-round pick, though it is subject to a condition (picks 34-60).<\/p>\n

Washington will unlikely pick up Watkins’s option unless a trade is made. However, the Wizards could decline his option and sign him to a two-way deal.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Ideal 2026 Draft Pick: AJ Dybantsa<\/h4>\n

AJ Dybantsa<\/a> will likely be the No. 1 pick in this draft regardless of who ultimately wins the NBA draft lottery. Dybantsa would fit perfectly with the Wizards’ other core youngsters — Sarr, Johnson, Riley, Carrington, and Coulibaly. He gives the Wizards a big wing and possesses defensive upside.<\/p>\n

Ranking Other Draft Picks<\/h3>\n

2. Cam Boozer<\/a>: The 2026 NCAA basketball player of the year would give the Wizards three solid big men with the capability of backing up both Sarr and Davis.<\/p>\n

3.\u00a0 Darryn Peterson\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

4. Keaton Wagler<\/a> and Brayden Burries<\/a>: These two players project to be the choices if the Wizards fall out of the top-3. Both players would provide the Wizards’ scoring punch off the bench.<\/p>\n

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Trade Candidates<\/h3>\n
    \n
  1. D’Angelo Russell\u00a0<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Russell is the most obvious trade candidate if he opts into his $5.9 million contract. He only played 26 games for Dallas before being dealt to the Wizards as part of the Davis trade. While the Wizards won’t get anything for Russell straight up, they could package him with a youngster or draft picks, including this year’s to move down in the draft.<\/p>\n

    2. Anthony Davis<\/h4>\n

    As mentioned above, Davis’ name is circulating through the rumor mill. While he likely won’t be traded before the season, the Wizards could move him before the trade deadline if he doesn’t fit with the franchise.<\/p>\n

    3. 2026 Draft Capital<\/h4>\n

    The Wizards could trade their top-5 pick as part of a package for a star<\/a> like Giannis Antetokounmpo<\/a>. Or they could use the pick to trade down and acquire another veteran to play alongside Davis and Young.<\/p>\n

    However, if the Wizards are going to trade their draft pick this year, they will trade their two second-round selections (No. 51 and 60) to move up.<\/p>\n

    4. Youngsters and Future Draft Capital<\/h4>\n

    If the Wizards decide to pursue a veteran and decide not to use their top-5 pick, they have enough youngsters and draft capital to facilitate a trade. Champaignie, Cam Whitmore<\/a>, and Hardy are candidates to package a long with their future draft capital.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    While the Washington Wizards have publicly said that they plan to be competitive in 2026-27, they still have plenty of questions to answer in the offseason. Washington Wizards Offseason: Needs, Key Free Agents, Draft Capital, and Trade Candidates Washington made major plays at the February trade deadline with the acquisition of Trae Young and Anthony […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3146,"featured_media":194792,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,2,62,556,3,18],"tags":[49942,49244,240,4557,1349,49827],"class_list":["post-194490","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-featured","category-nba","category-nba-draft","category-news","category-wizards","tag-2026-nba-draft","tag-alex-sarr","tag-anthony-davis","tag-nba-offseason","tag-trae-young","tag-tre-johnson"],"modified_by":"Daniel Benjamin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/194490","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3146"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=194490"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/194490\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":194794,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/194490\/revisions\/194794"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/194792"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=194490"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=194490"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=194490"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}