Inside The Wizards

Wizards Rebuild Has NBA's Attention

The Washington Wizards front office has been recognized around the league.

Jeremy Brener

Dec 8, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. (13) shoots the ball as Washington Wizards center Jonas Valanciunas (17) defends in the third quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Dec 8, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. (13) shoots the ball as Washington Wizards center Jonas Valanciunas (17) defends in the third quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
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The Washington Wizards are undergoing a total rebuild in hopes of building the best future imaginable, but it doesn't look quite like it at this moment in time.

The Wizards are 3-19 to start the season with a 16-game losing streak wedged right in the middle of the schedule, but people around the league are seeing and respecting the vision.

The Athletic conducted a survey of 40 NBA executives asking them to rank the top five front offices in the league. One voter gave Wizards president Michael Winger and the rest of the front office a fifth-place vote.

"They hired Michael Winger from LA in May 2023 to run their own flagging operation," The Athletic writes. "Winger’s down-to-the-studs rebuild is still in its early phases, but the moves (including trading Bradley Beal and Deni Avdija for draft capital) earned enough respect from at least one voter to make the list."

The Wizards' commitment to rebuilding comes after several years of riding the middle of the lottery and towards the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings. Now, the Wizards have fully committed to bottoming out, which will give them a better chance at nailing the top picks, much like they did in this year's draft when they took Alex Sarr with the No. 2 overall pick.

The Wizards aren't expected to be good anytime soon, but they are accumulating draft picks and have many opportunities for growth in the next few years. Given where the Wizards were, there's a very good chance that they will end up on the other side of the rebuild in a better place than they were before.

The Wizards are back in action tonight as they visit the NBA-best Cleveland Cavaliers. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET inside RocketMortgage Fieldhouse.

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

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Jeremy Brener
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.

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