The Washington Wizards have been busy this week.
Kyle Kuzma goes to the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for Khris Middleton and AJ Johnson. Jonas Valanciunas goes to the Sacramento Kings for Sidy Cissoko (later waived), the 2028 and 2029 second-round picks.
Kuzma gets the trade that he wanted: a chance to compete for his second championship with a contender.
He had already vocalized that he was not on board with the rebuilding process, so he got his wish.
Valanciunas will now play with his fellow Olympian, Domantas Sabonis, and his former Toronto Raptors teammate, DeMar DeRozan.
Khris Middleton gives the Wizards a veteran locker-room presence and a championship pedigree. He was Giannis Antetokounmpo’s right-hand man on the Bucks championship team. However, he has been hammered with injuries since and hasn’t been able to put together a fully healthy season. Not too long ago, he was moved to an off-the-bench role for the Bucks and remained a capable producer. That kind of professionalism can help this young squad learn what it means to be an NBA player.
Wizards Moving Quickly With More Trades
AJ Johnson (20 years old) is another player the Wizards can build with their young core. Johnson was one pick ahead of Kyshawn George in the recent draft. He gives Washington a young, athletic guard who can create offense for himself.
The Wizards also acquired a 2026 first-round pick and Reggie Jackson from the 76ers in exchange for Jared Butler and four second-round picks.
Washington gets the least favorable 2026 first-round pick from among the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers or Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Wizards are clearly going all in with youth development and building through the draft.
In the Wizards’ first game, with the trade deadline approaching, they flashed their future. Three of their young players, Bub Carrington, Bilal Coulibaly and Kyshawn George, all put up impressive performances. Carrington scored 16 points and dished out 10 assists— a career-high.
Coulibaly recorded his first triple-double of his career, 11 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high 11 assists. George scored 17 points. The team dished out a total of 40 assists and connected on 20 three-pointers. The 40 assists are the most assists by the Wizards since 2022.
The Wizards got their third straight with the win over the Nets 119-102. This is their longest win streak of the season.
A very eventful day for the Wizards showed that management is committed to this rebuild. Alex Sarr remains out with a left ankle injury sprain, but it will be exciting to see him back with this new team full of youth who are looking to make noise soon.
This team is built for the next few years, and they will be a force to be reckoned with.
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