Wizards Entering 'Transition Year'

The Washington Wizards are in a state of flux.

Jeremy Brener | Oct 2, 2024

Sep 30, 2024; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards guard Bilal Coulibaly (0) poses for a portrait during Washington Wizards media day 2024 at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

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Washington Wizards

The Washington Wizards are entering the season with a lot up in the air for the franchise.

The team has a group of young players ready to emerge, some players in their prime, and others that are clear trade bait.

Bleacher Report writer Andy Bailey sees the Wizards in the middle of a transition.

"Malcolm Brogdon and Jonas Valančiūnas definitely don't fit the timeline of a rebuilding team. Kyle Kuzma and Jordan Poole probably don't, either. And Washington should be canvassing the league from now until the deadline to see if anyone's willing to give up some real value for any of the above," Bailey writes. "It may be painful in the short term, but players such as Bilal Coulibaly, Alexandre Sarr and Bub Carrington need on-court developmental reps."

Given the varying timelines of players on the roster, the Wizards cannot be in a stable place, which makes it hard for the team to move forward. Players like Kuzma and Poole, who are both in the prime of their career, will look to play their best basketball, and that could mess around with the team's overall direction.

The team has promising pieces from the past two drafts, but none of the players are seen as surefire parts of Washington's future. This season is all about finding out which players could be seen as building blocks for the team moving forward. Coulibaly, Sarr and Carrington are among the players who could get that added playing time to see if they are legitimate, but it remains to be seen.

In order to give those players a true chance at developing, sacrifices will have to be made elsewhere on the roster, but those who will be asked to sacrifice for the younger pieces may not be the right fits for the team.

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Published Oct 2, 2024

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.