How Jazz Can Profit From Wizards’ Incoming ‘Full Rebuild’
A new captain is at the helm of the Washington Wizards’ front office, and it’s a long, long awaited change for the franchise. After being stuck in NBA purgatory for what seems like centuries at this point, the team direly needs a refresh. That’s exactly what new Wizards GM Michael Winger intends to bring to the table.
“[Ted Leonsis (Wizards’ CEO)] looked me right in the eye & said, ‘I want to win at the highest level with this team & you will have the authority to build this team the way you want to build it by any means necessary to win a championship.’ Period, hard stop.”
- Michael Winger to Grant Paulsen of NBC Sports Washington
If building a championship team is the ultimate goal for Winger, it’s abundantly clear this Wizards’ current core won’t be contending for one anytime soon. With a combined record of 161-229 (.412) over the past five seasons, there needs to be an overturn in the direction of the franchise.
The first step of this necessary overturn comes with blowing up the roster. Bradley Beal, Kristaps Porzingis, and Kyle Kuzma are all undeniably talented. However, together, not only are they extremely underwhelming in terms of regular season success, but they’re also looking to be way too expensive. Porzingis and Kuzma seem likely to decline their pending player options, resulting in more total money eventually allocated to them for long contracts.
If the new look front office didn’t want to dish out sizable money for a mediocre output, this is the perfect time for the Wizards to begin their rebuild. According to The Athletic, sources around the league tend to agree:
"Many rival executives The Athletic has polled informally over the last two weeks expect Winger to undertake a full rebuild — if not this offseason, then within the next year."
- Josh Robbins, via The Athletic.
For rival GMs across the league, this could be the opportunity to take on some of the team’s current pieces for sale. When looking at the Wizards, it’s an interesting opportunity to take advantage of since nobody on the team currently looks to be ‘untouchable’.
Even some of their younger players like Deni Avdija, Corey Kispert, or even rookie Johnny Davis could be on the block.
And this is exactly where the Utah Jazz could look into investing in...
Sure, adding some big names like Kyle Kuzma, Bradley Beal, and Kristaps Porzingis would draw some eyes to the team, but it may not be in the best interest of the franchise long-term. If the Wizards are truly looking for a “full rebuild”, some of their previous projects that have not developed as the team would have liked could be available for a cheap price as well.
I remember back when Deni Avdija was coming into the league, he was seen as this 6’9” all-around point forward, but he's never able to truly get his footing in the league. Corey Kispert came into the league in 2021 with comparisons to Wally Sczerbiak, but has suffered a similar fate as Advija. Johnny Davis had an abysmal start to his career, but he was the 10th overall pick for a reason.
With the Wizards’ consistent instability and unwillingness to develop their young talent, a change of scenery in Utah could allow them to blossom into their true potential.
The Jazz’s current haul of future first round picks gives them an advantage compared to other franchises who could look to do the same. Giving up one first-rounder for Utah is not nearly as risky as it could look for some other teams. So, if Winger wanted to add some new draft capital to his team’s future, dropping some of their currently underwhelming young guys could be an easy way to do it.
Like the saying goes, ‘one man’s trash is another man’s treasure,’ and in the NBA, we’ve seen countless players be able to develop into much better players in a different environment. Utah gives the perfect chance for better development and opportunity for any player in Washington.
As the offseason tends to keep rolling, we’ll see how Michael Winger will build his new Wizards team, and if/how the Jazz can get involved.
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