They probably won't be actual title contenders next season (though, in this Eastern Conference, anything is possible), but the Washington Wizards are quietly building a solid squad. And, given that the Boston Celtics are looking to stay in (return to?) the title picture, this is a team they should at least keep an eye on moving forward.
The Wizards can become serious contenders in the East soon
There are three obvious factors going in Washington's favor: it traded for Trae Young in January (he only played five games for the team but looked solid, averaging 15.2 points, 6.2 assists, and 3 rebounds, on 59.5/42.9% shooting splits in 20.8 minutes), it acquired Anthony Davis (who is still one of the top two-way bigs in the NBA and should be incredible alongside Young), and most recently, it landed the No. 1 overall pick in one of the most stacked draft classes in recent years.
The Wizards will have their pick of AJ Dybantsa (which seems most likely), Darryn Peterson, and Cameron Boozer. All three of these players would be incredible additions to the team, and any one of them would greatly elevate their squad, especially Dybantsa, who can fit in incredibly well next to Young and Davis as a do-it-all wing who can take a lot of pressure off of them on offense as a fantastic shot creator.
But on top of that, even though the Wizards haven't been too good in recent years (they haven't made the playoffs since the 2020-21 season, and even then, they were just 34-38 on the year), there's a lot of talent there.
Alex Sarr, who was the second pick in the 2024 draft, took a major step forward last season, averaging 16.3 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 2.7 APG, and 2 BPG while shooting 48.2% from the field and 33.3% from deep.
Additionally, Washington has some other intriguing players in Kyshawn George, Tre Johnson (his rookie campaign was a bit underwhelming, but he is still very talented and has a ton of potential), and Bilal Coulibaly (who looked incredible to end last season).
The Celtics should be wary of the Wizards
No, the Wizards aren't better or more talented than the Celtics. But the fact of the matter is that they are on the come up, while Boston just got bounced in the first round of the playoffs by the Philadelphia 76ers and has some real questions it needs to answer this offseason.
There's a lot to like about what Washington is doing. The team has a good mix of young stars and veterans, and they have a solid roster on paper (and the offseason hasn't even technically started yet). I'm not going to proclaim them the league's next dynasty or anything, but I'm seeing the vision with them, and the Celtics better be seeing it, too.
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