Last summer, the Washington Wizards traded Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis, marking the start of a much-needed rebuild after years of being stuck firmly in the middle.
Now, after three solid picks in the 2024 NBA Draft (Alex Sarr, Bub Carrington and Kyshawn George), they’re ready to continue their rebuild next season with a real starting point.
Washington also brought in Jonas Valanciunas, who will help develop their young core as he is a quality veteran. He will also give them good minutes on the court.
That being said, even if things improve in Washington, with their young core in place and they finally have some real direction, they’re going to be one of the worst teams in the league.
NBC Sports’ Kurt Helin He recently put together his mid-summer power rankings, and the Wizards weren’t just one of the worst teams on the list: he ranked them dead last.
Helin made many of the same points, saying the Wizards are in the very early stages of their rebuild. That said, he also praised them for taking the right path. They’re on the rise.
Unfortunately for the Wizards, there isn’t much room for improvement in the standings. Almost every team in the Eastern Conference is clearly better than them (at least on paper).
However, it’s a very good thing that the Wizards are one of the worst teams in the league heading into the upcoming season, because the 2025 NBA Draft is supposed to be elite.
Players like Cooper Flagg and Ace Bailey will be available early in the draft, and there will be plenty of players who will fit right in with their current roster.
After this year, the Wizards will probably want capitalize on development of their young people and make progress They’re moving up the rankings, but for now they should feel good where they are.
And where they are is at the bottom of the league. There’s a good chance they’ll be the worst team in the NBA next season.
