Breaking Down the Wizards' Free Agency Options Post-Deandre Ayton Trade

The Washington Wizards may not have filled that final remaining roster spot, but their most recent move changes their list of most pressing needs.

Oct 5, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers center Deandre Ayton (5) dribbles upcourt against the Golden State Warriors in the second quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Washington Wizards have yet to make a signing a week into free agency, one of the lone teams to abstain from the vast majority of helpful outsourced hands. But that doesn't mean they've been completely inactive in advancing toward a more competitive situation.

They raised eyebrows late last week by swinging a surprise trade for Deandre Ayton, a former No. 1 overall pick with a continually-slipping reputation and a lot to gain out of a rehabilitative stint in Washington. Here, he'll slide in as the backup center for the first time of his rollercoaster career, fortifying a burly, rebuilt front court alongside Anthony Davis and Alex Sarr.

Just in: The Los Angeles Lakers are trading Deandre Ayton to the Washington Wizards for Jaden Hardy and two Wizards second-round picks in 2031 and 2032, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/bAEtSFpTNi

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 3, 2026

And what's more, the Wizards' choice to buy low on the experienced big cost them next to nothing. Two second round picks to be cashed in during the 2030s and Jaden Hardy could end up looking like a lopsided return should the expiring Ayton provide the basic rebounding and pick-and-roll finishing boost they're looking for, and his replacing Hardy on the depth chart still leaves one final roster spot open.

Still armed with around $11 million in tax space and the full $15 million Mid-Level Exception, the franchise has a few routes to peruse as the heart of free agency continues winding down.

Shifting Focus Up Front

The Wizards' most glaring positional needs going back as far as pre-draft were especially glaring, even after they did the expected in selecting star prospect AJ Dybantsa first overall last month.

Jun 23, 2026; New York, NY, USA; AJ Dybantsa poses for photos with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected first overall by the Washington Wizards during the 2026 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

They've seemed especially slight compared to their NBA counterparts all throughout the rebuild, a developmental hole that negatively contributed to much of their on-court woes. The physically-immature Wizards suffered on the boards and getting to the rim as independent scorers, and the similarly-raw Dybantsa couldn't be expected to plug that hole all by himself.

So when Washington picked up Tennessee center Felix Okpara at No. 46 on Day Two of the draft, few were owed much explanation to the turn. Here was the ideal two-way rim-runner to pair with Trae Young, someone to feast off of the point guard's entry passes on offense while contributing to more stringent paint defense.

Okpara's potential aside, there were plenty of reasons why he was still available over three-quarters of the way through this previous selection cycle. Namely, he's still a long ways away from entering regular Wizards outings as the first big off Washington's bench in directly backing up Davis and Sarr, while Ayton, for all of his faults as a less-than-stellar defender and inconsistent effort-supplier, has no problem sliding into NBA games. His sudden move east creates a center rotation sturdier than anything fans have seen in years.

REPORT: “With no shortage of double-big lineups popping up around the league, sources say Washington envisions Ayton playing alongside both Anthony Davis and Alex Sarr at times.”, per @TheSteinLine.

the Wizards were ranked bottom 5 in total team rebounding last season (50.2 RPG) pic.twitter.com/TdP1VfVKnY

— SleeperWizards (@SleeperWizards) July 4, 2026

Locating the Next Need

A squad coming directly off of a 17-win campaign is going to offer multiple weaknesses worth patching, and the Wizards' Ayton acquisition suddenly places a little more pressure on the point guard rotation.

As the opening night lineup presently stands, Tre Johnson and Bub Carrington stand as the next men up whenever Young hits the bench. Everyone else worth deploying regular minutes to is either one of their many rangy, ball-handling wings or a big, and neither the score-first combo guard in Carrington nor the devastating shooter in Johnson are currently capable of running a competent offense as the lead option.

Jan 22, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards guard Tre Johnson (12) celebrates with guard Bub Carrington (7) during the second half against the Denver Nuggets at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

That's where the Wizards' assortment of wings can come into play as platoon-style show-runners. Dybantsa, Kyshawn George and Will Riley are all at least 6'8 and capable of creating scoring opportunities for themselves and others, and may very well watch their respective usage rates spike without Young calling the shots.

If the Wizards are really gunning to rack up the wins this fall, though, they'll consider that those three players have a combined three seasons of NBA action under their collective belts, and very few reps in high-stakes matchups against competent opponents. A more proven point guard could soon capture the front office's fancy if they decide against providing as much trust to the prospects, especially with that tasty MLE contract opening dangling in the air.

Russell Westbrook stands as one of the most prominent names remaining in the free agency aggregate, just like he was well into last year's offseason. He isn't exactly known for his flexible off-ball prowess, guaranteeing that he'd eat all of the non-Young minutes, but he's a well-liked locker room voice and dogged ancillary contributor should the Wizards opt to go in that direction.

Apr 21, 2021; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards guard Russell Westbrook (4) celebrates with Wizards guard Bradley Beal (3) after their game against the Golden State Warriors at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports

Should they angle for someone less obtrusive, though, reports that the Wizards have emerged in the running for a role-playing shooter in Gabe Vincent continue to abound, while another former Wizard in Aaron Holiday similarly remains in the mix.

Any perimeter-dwellers would provide Wizards head coach Brian Keefe more options to play around with, but he could always advocate for the organization turning back to ol' reliable in deciding who's most worthy of roster spot No. 15.

Bringing Back the Favorite

As rare as a creating reserve is to locate by this point in the offseason, Anthony Gill's unique brand of contribution is even harder to come by.

He ended the 2025-26 season as the longest-tenured Wizard after six fragmented seasons with the team, and even took advantage of numerous barren lineups in capping off his most productive statistical season to date. He averaged career-highs in points and field goal percentage during his age-33 stint, and now finds himself cast off into another round of will-he, won't-he re-sign.

Mar 25, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Washington Wizards forward Anthony Gill (16) looks to get past Utah Jazz guard John Konchar (55) during the second quarter at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

And it's not like he was just hanging around to check into the occasional Tuesday night tip-off. He's the final boss of positive locker room presences, someone who teammates speak glowingly off as a behind-the-scenes mentor.

He's already widely-expected to contend for that final roster spot, especially now that the rest of Washington's nightly rotation seems more-or-less set. Gill won't even eat up as much money as they're ready to dole out after a season spent on a veterans minimum deal, and the Wizards' surely wouldn't say no to his positivity and stabilizing charisma in preparing for the next step forward.

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