Why the Washington Wizards finally deserve our attention

For over a decade, the phrase “trust the process” has divided waters within the NBA sphere.

The term, popularized by the mid-2010s Philadelphia 76ers when they blatantly tanked, refers to a roster-construction strategy that emphasizes draft picks and youth while de-emphasizing old, expensive veterans.

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The idea is simple. By loading up a roster with young players and elite prospects, the odds of someone popping increases, as opposed to having a veteran team stuck in the first round of the playoffs every year, as young players aren’t given a chance to develop.

As soon as a star — or multiple stars — emerges, then teams can recalibrate and push for contention.

If that strategy sounds vaguely familiar, it’s because the Oklahoma City Thunder followed the path of the Sixers and won the 2025 title after half a decade of loading up on young players.

(Philadelphia did find an MVP in Joel Embiid and has also drafted multiple All-Stars. While the 76ers’ process never resulted in a championship, part of that was also due to the league intervening, leaving the project unfulfilled.)

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Even with longer lottery odds now in a place, as well as the NBA installing as many safe rails as possible to avoid similar approaches to roster construction, more and more teams have found logic in the approach.

The Utah Jazz have made no secret of their plans to be absolutely awful this coming season to potentially grab a franchise player in the top three of next year’s draft.

And then there are the Washington Wizards, who also would very much like to select high next year to avoid relinquishing their pick to the Knicks if it falls outside the top eight. But that’s not all the Wizards are doing.

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In fact, their process seems more deliberate and more careful, with a heavier emphasis on talent development than simply a raw volume of young players.

Goodbye to the old, hello to the new

Two years ago, the Wizards knew they were going nowhere. They’d just completed a three-year stretch of 35, 35 and 34 wins with players such as Russell Westbrook, Kristaps Porziņģis, Jordan Poole, Kyle Kuzma and, of course, Bradley Beal. Nothing was working, and eventually they pulled the plug, even if it probably should have been pulled a year or two earlier.

Despite a no-trade clause, Beal and the Wizards agreed on a framework that would send the former All-Star guard to the Phoenix Suns. Porziņģis was sent to Boston, where he won the title in his first season there. Westbrook was sent out in a package that brought back Kuzma, who was traded to Milwaukee in February of last season. Poole ended his Wizards tenure this offseason, as he was traded to New Orleans.

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All in all, the Wizards cleaned house, despite not receiving a plethora of picks in return. The value of their assets was, at best, modest. While most teams aren’t interested in trading players at their lowest point, Washington decided to swallow its pride and just get the deals done in order to move forward.

During that process, the Wizards kept making their draft selections with an eye on the future. They chose Alexandre Sarr second overall last summer, and traded for the 14th pick in Bub Carrington and the 24th selection in Kyshawn George.

The year before, they made a draft-night trade to secure the rights to Bilal Coulibaly, and this year they walked away with Tre Johnson and Will Riley as their main pieces.

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The Wizards are in the process of loading up on young talent, per the trust-the-process playbook. But while doing so, they veered off the path ever so slightly by bringing in multiple veterans who are both costly and rather old.

The healthy foundation

One might think veterans will block youngsters from evolving. In some cases, that’s absolutely true. In the case of Washington, however, not so much.

Khris Middleton, acquired in the Kuzma trade, is no longer a 30-minute player. He’s older, he’s been through multiple injuries, and his time to ease back has arrived, regardless of how good he technically still is.

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C.J. McCollum, acquired in the Poole trade, is also approaching his mid-30s. While he can certainly play 30-plus minutes per game, he isn’t a player who will dominate the ball and take away opportunities from others.

Both players are elite locker-room guys who will take younger players under their wings and provide both comfort and encouragement.

This is a deliberate choice by the Wizards, and one that makes oodles of sense when seen through the lens of player development. By installing two highly respected players who are former stars and bring the right kind of ego to the team, there’s a chance that accelerates and improves the development of young talent.

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Essentially, the Wizards made a call on establishing a culture where accountability and having the right kind of leadership are prioritized.

Will it work?

Of course, there are no guarantees in this business, even if your approach to a new process is followed to the end.

Sarr might not develop into the multi-tooled All-Star big he was billed as. Coulibaly, who is expected to miss the start of the season after thumb surgery, could top out as a good starter and never make an All-Star team. Carrington could find himself as an eternal combo guard who can never find a permanent spot. Johnson could become the next Jordan Hawkins instead of the new Ray Allen.

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Loads of issues and problematic developments could pop up. There are no guarantees the Wizards, despite their best efforts, will turn this process into anything sustainable.

But at least they’re trying.

At least they decided to pivot and make a real effort to go down a different path. At least they haven’t resigned themselves to years of irrelevance like the Chicago Bulls. At least they’re trying to type out their own story and lay the foundation for a future with hope.

We’ll see in the coming years how everything will unfold. But make no mistake about it: The Washington Wizards finally deserve our attention.