Three Fringe Wizards to Monitor Over Regular Season's Remainder

The dust has cleared from the Washington Wizards' pair of meteoric midseason trades, and what remains of the on-court Wizards is mostly comprised of the high-end prospects they opened the season planning to develop around. And given how many times they've cashed in their chips over the last three draft classes, that's been practically enough for a full rotation.

They have no shortage of name-brand draft picks, having now sent five different players to the last pair of Rising Stars games. The Alex Sarrs, Kyshawn Georges and Tre Johnsons have long-established themselves as franchise pillars.

A few fringe Wizards are similarly-worthy of evaluation, though, as not every player's fate is as set in stone over the near-future. Among the noteworthy deep-cut Wizards to monitor the regular season's third act:

Jaden Hardy: New Home?

Here's the one player who's actually contributed to Washington's rotation since the trade deadline. While key acquisition Anthony Davis has yet to factor into D.C. short-term outlook and D'Angelo Russell and Dante Exum seek out alternative opportunities, the young Hardy is looking for a second chance to make something of his NBA potential.

The scoring guard has the chance to soak up some of the score-first role that Cam Whitmore occupied earlier in the season; except unlike the former blue-chip prospect, Hardy flirted with a degree of tangible shooting efficiency at his own previous stop.

Washington Wizards Guard Jaden Hardy — Feb 11, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Washington Wizards guard Jaden Hardy (8) celebrates his three-point basket in the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images

He wasted no time in demonstrating his productive outside shot upon completing the move from the Dallas Mavericks, knocking down a trio of 3-pointers in his Wizards debut for 11 points as a handy bench hand.

Hardy can draw contact on his drives as a thick rim-pressurer, and with the general shortage of reliable reserves remaining in Washington, he'll receive plenty of burn over the next two months in making his case for the Wizards to include him into next season's fold. He still has at least one more guaranteed deal remaining on his rookie extension, and should treat his new team like a second draft destination following Dallas' flame-out.

Tristan Vukcevic: Out of Two-Ways

Outside of Bilal Coulibaly, the grandfather of this ongoing Wizards rebuild as the first draft pick made by their current sitting front office, no recent draftee has occupied Washington longer than their second-round seven-footer.

Washington Wizards Forward Tristan Vukcevic — Jan 11, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Washington Wizards forward Tristan Vukcevic against the Phoenix Suns at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

He's yet to assert himself as a foundational member of what they're building, though, and for fair reasons. Vukcevic still has a long way to go as a viable defender at his height, still a frequently-hunted target in switches and in the open floor three years into his career, and the jump shot that's usually headlined his value has encountered more off-days than ever throughout 2025-26.

Following a long inactive stretch, he's knocked down at least five field goals over his last three outings, as well as eight 3-pointers to raise his perimeter success rate to 27.4% on the year. And with Sarr's attendance still rocky departing the All-Star break, prepare for a few more spot-starts.

The Wizards have enjoyed not having to think too hard about Vukcevic's future over each of their offseasons heading the team's operation, simply signing him to new two-way deals every time they can avoid handing out a long-term extension for the streaky stretch-big. But such a specific contract is limited to players with under three years of NBA experience while capping their appearances at 50 outings per campaign, and given that Vukcevic has just 17 games remaining on his final eligible two-way agreement, consider this home stretch as his audition to factor into the Wizards' future.

Jamir Watkins: How Can His Role Change?

Finally, we transition to the squad's final second-round prospect. Except unlike the newcomer Hardy and Vukcevic, whose lingering inconsistencies will continue inherently holding him back from earning the coaching staff's full trust, Watkins made sure to prove his reliability upon the first chance he got.

He's the first true defensive specialist that Washington's brought in during the rebuild, as unlike just about all of his in-house peers, the 24-year-old rookie is more or less a finished product. However, he's managed to leverage his experience into a strength; the wing's strength and maturity remain helpful attributes as a multi-positional defender, especially intriguing as the Wizards continue experimenting to close the season.

Brian Keefe talked about how impressed he was with Jamir Watkins’ defense on James Harden, especially considering the “pretty advanced” contributions he’s provided. I asked about how he’s improving on that end, and as a rotational piece: pic.twitter.com/8tjCfAJY3d
— Henry J. Brown (@henryjbr_sports) January 19, 2026

A high-scorer himself in college, he's slowly taken on more offensive responsibility with usual minutes. Watkins' jump shot still has a long way to go, as he's canning just 23.4% of his long jumpers while being left wide open, but he's strong enough as a finisher to punish smaller defenders rotating over to him in the dunker's spot.

He won't be expected to be regularly called upon to control the offense and get the scoring done himself when Davis, Trae Young and his healthy fellow draftees are all playing together, but any flexibility he can offer can come in handy next season when he'll have to once-again remind the league that he's a deserving minute-eater. Should he maintain this level of dogged defense, expect to see his off-ball cutting and rim-finishing working alongside a few considerably-bigger names this fall.

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