Three Most Glaring Decisions the Wizards Must Nail This Offseason

The Washington Wizards have a summer full of high-stakes choices coming their way.

Mar 8, 2026; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Washington Wizards guard Trae Young (3) celebrates with guard Tre Johnson (12) during the first half against the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images | Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

Washington fans may soon exhale after years of holding in their collective breath and waiting out the long rebuild. A more competitive era of Wizards basketball is set to grace the long-downtrodden franchise, with numerous big changes and opportunities expected to greet locals over the coming months.

But we're not quite there yet. Even looking past the NBA Draft, the Wizards' most straightforward chance to finalize their young nucleus with one more star prospect with, the team can expect further investments into the future. They traded for Anthony Davis and Trae Young over recent months while stating their commitment in the present coaching staff, inspiring the belief that they're happy with the corps they've accumulated and feel ready to take the next step of the organization's long-term vision.

Extensions will start getting doled out entering the summer. The assortment of young talents should look deeper than ever entering the 2026-27 campaign, and that set-up process is up to Washington's front office and their ability to land the plane on three particularly-striking choices.

3. Agreeing on Bilal Coulibaly's Next Move

The Wizards' relatively-clean cap sheet over the last few years largely existed as a byproduct of their prospect-centric rebuild. All of those rookie contracts freed management up from having to make any tough decisions regarding keepers and goners while the contributors played for the league's equivalent of pennies, but that honeymoon period will finally begin closing after a few stakes-free seasons.

Bilal Coulibaly, the Wizards' lone pickup from 2023's draft class, is up for a second contract. He may not force the same involuntary headaches as some of his teammates, with Washington still rostering and favoring five other first-round products out of the two cycles that succeeded his, though Coulibaly's career-best stretch of play to close out this past spring does put the decision-makers in a tough spot.

Mar 25, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Washington Wizards guard Bilal Coulibaly (0) controls the ball during the first quarter against the Utah Jazz at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images | Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images

11.7 points per game on 42.5% success from the field aren't as replaceable as they look, even if those context-independent marks lack in dramatic flavor. The oft-injured wing demonstrated all-new on-ball confidence over the course of his third season's final act in raising his game to 15.4 nightly points and 38.2% from behind the arc, finally learning how to pair his steady athletic defense with the comfortability to quickly get to his spots and command an offense.

Now, this won't be the position he'll be regularly placed in by the time Washington's fully healthy. Young and Davis will need their touches, as will more guaranteed starters like Alex Sarr and Kyshawn George. Coulibaly will be expected to fill a more supplementary role, working off of the ball as a cutter and shooter, but his willingness to embrace a new challenge was enough to silence doubters that the once-disappointing specimen wouldn't be a Wizard for long.

The only examples fans have to go by in embracing Coulibaly's negotiating window are Deni Avdija and Corey Kispert, fellow home-drafted wings and former teammates who came through the organization in prior summer drafts. They were re-inked for $55 and $54 million, respectively, with the similarly-raw Avdija demonstrating highs and lows relatively-on-par with his French counterpart.

Feb 26, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Corey Kispert (24) dribbles towards the basket against the Washington Wizards during the second half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Those agreements have each proven tradable for a pair of productive draftees. The same front office who put pen to paper on both of those deals is up to bat yet again, and it would be fair to assume Coulibaly will accept comparable terms after making a case for himself from March-onward.

2. Trae Young's Next Move

Coulibaly's new lob partner's fate isn't as easy to financially forecast.

Unlike Coulibaly, who's walking the well-beaten path of lottery picks who impress their organization into a contractual re-up, Young is a newcomer looking for a second chance at leading a squad. The 4x All-Star steered the Atlanta Hawks back into relevance to open the 2020s before slowly whittling away at the Atlanta Hawks' patience, arrived to D.C. at his absolute low point after wearing his team down with a rigid offensive play-style and enough defensive lapses to hard-cap the Hawks' ceiling.

Oct 22, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) dribbles against the Toronto Raptors in the first quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

His second contract was much more profitable than whatever Coulibaly can expect, as Young happily accepted a five-year, $215.6 million rookie maximum that carried through this past season and the first trade of his NBA career. He still has a hefty player option awaiting him in the fall should he accept more guaranteed money, but the Wizards would be better off re-signing him on their own terms to negate that outcome and secure a proven point guard through the remainder of the decade.

This is where the Wizards can reap some benefits from gathering up Young when no one else seems to have been willing to take a shot on him. They have the chance to get away with bringing him back on a contract worth $10-15 million less annually than what he's regularly rounded up, and based on the excitement he's broadcast since making the move, he's open to a fresh start.

He naturally entails a much bigger financial hit than anything else the Wizards are predicted to attempt over the coming months, but even the wildest Young extension's got nothing on the biggest decision looming over the offseason.

1. Nailing the Draft

This is where any excitement surrounding the Wizards' chances of surging into next season on their own terms will first get measured. Will the team walk out of June with a clear-cut star to guide Washington's many tertiary prospects and role players?

They've done all they they possibly could have to prepare for good lottery fortune, having clinched the NBA's worst regular season record to ensure that they can fall no farther than the fifth selection spot during the live order drawing. And given the vast array of high-upside prospects outside of the consensus-top three of AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson and Cam Boozer, this gives Wizards fans plenty of hope that the front office can manage even the most dire possible outcome.

Mar 7, 2026; Provo, Utah, USA; BYU Cougars forward AJ Dybantsa (3) celebrates with fans after a win over the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Marriott Center. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Baker-Imagn Images | Aaron Baker-Imagn Images

The projected rotation of Young, Davis, Sarr, George, Coulibaly, Tre Johnson, Will Riley and whoever else proves themselves a nightly staple is already exciting enough to crash the Play-In Tournament picture, and that's just for next season. One more bona fide scoring weapon to take the keys from Young and Davis in due time would provide the corps with that final element they've so desperately missed in unluckier years, a chance to christen the Wizards' embrace of the next phase of their build.

Make sure you bookmark Washington Wizards on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!