The Wizards’ previous regime liked to stress that a sample size of 35 games just wasn’t enough to judge the potential upside of the three players seen as key to the team’s future. That 35, remember, was how many games Bradley Beal, Kristaps Porzingis and Kyle Kuzma played together last season.
But 35 was all the new front office needed to see.
The Wizards traded point guard Chris Paul on Thursday to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for guard Jordan Poole, guard Ryan Rollins, a 2030 protected first-round pick and a 2027 second-round pick — marking the latest dramatic shakeup to the team’s roster in the weeks after owner Ted Leonsis hired Michael Winger as president of Monumental basketball.
Since his hire on May 24, Winger has traded Beal to the Phoenix Suns, shipped Porzingis to the Boston Celtics in a three-team trade and landed Poole by rerouting Paul — acquired in the Beal deal — to Golden State.
The changes are a sweeping overhaul of the Wizards, a franchise that has been mired in mediocrity over the last five years. Washington made the playoffs just once in that span, and even then, the team suffered a first-round, five-game exit to the top-seeded Philadelphia 76ers.
By resetting the roster, Winger and Co. now get to mold the Wizards in their image. But this week’s deals also made clear that Washington is unlikely to be competitive any time soon.
After trading Beal, the Wizards gained six second-round draft picks and the right to swap first-rounders with Phoenix in 2024, 2026, 2028 and 2030. Washington also landed additional draft capital from Boston and Golden State. Sending Porzingis to the Celtics netted the Wizards the 35th pick in Thursday’s NBA draft, while the 2030 first-rounder from the Warriors is reportedly top 20 protected.
Draft capital can be useful for a team given that those picks can either be used by Washington down the road or be spun off into future deals that could help the Wizards. Still, none of the incoming picks are expected to change the short-term trajectory for the team, which may be historically bad this season. That’s by design.
To be able to remake Washington’s roster, Winger and his staff had to free up salary cap space and create flexibility. Though the Wizards’ haul for Beal might not have been as big as past trades involving stars of his stature — the 29-year-old’s no-trade clause gave him significant leverage — Washington was able to clear his remaining four-year, $207 million deal off the books.
Of the pieces Washington got back in its recent deals, only Poole (four years, $128 million) has a significant long-term contract. The other players — point guard Tyus Jones, guard Landry Shamet, forward Danilo Gallinari, center Mike Muscala and Rollins — are either on expiring contracts or deals that contain clauses that give Washington an easy out after the season. (Shamet’s $11 million in 2024-25, for instance, is nonguaranteed.)
That sort of flexibility shouldn’t be overlooked. It’s the kind Washington hasn’t had since arguably 2016 — when the Wizards’ failed pursuit of Kevin Durant instead landed … Ian Mahinmi and Andrew Nicholson.
Winger isn’t done. Beyond what happened in Thursday’s draft, the team still has to make a decision on Kuzma, a free agent Washington would reportedly like to retain but one who might command big money from another team. Other players still on the roster like Monte Morris and Delon Wright — serviceable guards — could be moved to net more assets. Perhaps Washington will look to negotiate an extension with either Deni Avdija or Jones, the former Grizzlies point guard who is in the final year of his deal.
When it comes to the players who actually suit up for Washington next season, Winger and his staff will be figuring out who can be a part of the Wizards’ future. It’s likely why Washington rolled the dice on Poole.
Poole is coming off a down year as he was involved in a training camp fight with Draymond Green and shot just 34% in the playoffs. But the 24-year-old is still young enough to have an intriguing upside — and he’s shown he’s capable of producing on a big stage. Poole’s run in the 2022 playoffs — he averaged 17 points a game on 50.8% shooting — helped the Warriors win a championship and was a big reason the Warriors signed him to an extension.
Over the last month, Leonsis came to the conclusion that Washington needed a new direction. That’s why he fired general manager Tommy Sheppard. And upon arriving in the District, Winger has now set Washington down a new path — and it’ll be on him and his staff to navigate it.
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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