Wizards Midseason Grades: Let Will Dawkins Cook

GM Will Dawkins is ready to lead the Washington Wizards in the future with a very active trade deadline

Feb 27, 2014; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Washington Wizards practice jerseys are laid out on the floor before the start of their game against the Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre. The Wizards beat the Raptors 134-129 in triple overtime. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-Imagn Images / Tom Szczerbowski-Imagn Images

It's year two of the Washington Wizards rebuild. The players are usually considered the most important piece of a franchise, but upper management matters; competent ownership and front offices matter. The players, especially the young core, can just go out and play without expectations.

Still, most of the pressure falls on general manager Will Dawkins to scout, evaluate, and acquire young talent. There is a saying in the district: let Will Dawkins cook, and cook he did at the trade deadline, earnng Dawkins high marks at the midway point in the season.

Treasure chest for the future

Will Dawkins was cooking like Gordan Ramsey at the trade deadline. The fun started well before the then, though.

In free agency, he signed Jonas Valanciunas and Saddiq Bey and re-signed Richaun Holmes. Valanciunas was moved to the Kings for draft capital and a young prospect in Colby Jones. Saddiq Bey hasn't played yet due to recovering from an ACL tear but projects to be a key contributor for the Wizards going forward and Holmes offers toughness and depth at the center position until Vukcevic is ready to take on more responsibility. He also added three high-impact players in the 1st round of the 2024 NBA Draft. Sarr, Carrington, and George not only have high ceilings, they all fit the model in Washington. All can stretch the floor and defend at an above-average level.

Dawkins did exceptional at the trade deadline. He acquired 1st round picks in loaded drafts in 2025 & 2026. He added two prospects in AJ Johnson and Colby Jones who could be developed into solid role players. He also dealt with the elephant in the room and traded Kyle Kuzma to Milwaukee.

Addition by subtraction

The only real mistake made by Will Dawkins was the Kuzma saga. Yes, he held on to him too long. Yes, he made a mistake allowing Kuzma to have a say in whether or not he wanted to be traded last season. But, he reconciled the situation by not only shipping out Kyle Kuzma who wanted out, but he also acquired a veteran in Middleton who will be a great mentor, and a 1st round pick. He also got a young prospect in AJ Johnson who was picked one pick before Kyshawn George so again, he made up for it.

If the Kuzma sage is the only bad mark, then Will Dawkins has already shown that he is not only ready to rebuild the Wizards into a future contender, but he's ready to show that adults are finally back in the front office.

Grade - A

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