The Washington Wizards’ 2024-25 schedule is now out, and while it’s hard to predict a final record for any team, it’s even harder in this case. The club is one of the top candidates league-wide to make in-season trades, with one possible outgoing veteran being big man Jonas Valanciunas.
The Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks, and Golden State Warriors are prime contenders to land the 32-year-old once he’s eligible to be dealt on December 15, via Heavy’s Sean Deveney.
“The Lakers have been most frequently connected with Valanciunas, but L.A. has also been reluctant to give up either of its tradeable draft picks,” Deveney reported. “If and when Valanciunas hits the market, there figures to be ample competition. He is, after all, a legitimate 6-foot-11 center who averaged 12.2 points and 8.8 rebounds last year.”
Trading Valanciunas would make the most sense for a rebuilding Wizards squad that could poach assets from a contender looking for center help.
“And the Wizards wisely scooped him up on a three-year, $30 million contract to open free agency,” Deveney continued. “The expectation is that Washington will begin looking for a deal for Valanciunas in December when he becomes eligible to be traded. Expect competition, though.”
While Valanciunas, Kyle Kuzma, Jordan Poole, and/or Malcolm Brogdon could all be traded to secure future draft capital, the Wizards’ schedule presents interesting matchups regardless. How will Alex Sarr, Bilal Coulibaly, and the rest of the young core gel together throughout the grind of the NBA season?
The Wizards’ first 10 games will be big for the rookies
Washington Wizards forward Alex Sarr (12) dribbles against the Houston Rockets during the first quarter at Thomas & Mack Center.© Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
Washington opens the season hosting the defending-champion Boston Celtics on October 24 before facing the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Atlanta Hawks back-to-back, the Miami Heat, the Golden State Warriors, Memphis Grizzlies, Orlando Magic, Houston Rockets, and San Antonio Spurs to round out the first 10 contests, via the team’s website.
This year is not about winning games for the Wizards. Player development will take center stage, as Alex Sarr, Bub Carrington, and Kyshawn George will start their careers during this first stretch, and it’ll give a glimpse into their current skill levels.
Bilal Coulibaly having a good sophom*ore season is also crucial to the organization’s rebuild. The 20-year-old was buried at the bottom of France’s rotation during the Olympics, but played 21 minutes in the Gold Medal Game against USA, scoring six points on three-of-five shooting with one rebound and one assist. If he can make an impact against a bunch of future Hall-of-Famers with the world watching, there’s no reason why he shouldn’t have a promising NBA campaign this year.
The Hawks matchups will be particularly interesting, as they’ll showcase the No. 1 vs. No. 2 overall picks from this past draft. Atlanta, of course, took French big man Zaccharie Rissacher before Washington took Sarr, another big man with the same nationality. These two contests, along with the NBA Cup East Group C match between the two squads on November 15 will show where each player is in their respective developments.
The Wizards should be in full tank mode by late December
With the 2025 draft class featuring elite talents such as Cooper Flagg and Ace Bailey, Washington should be at the bottom of the NBA standings by New Year’s to position itself for a top-five pick. With the trade deadline on February 6 this season, look for the club to preserve its veterans to keep them healthy for any possible deals.
Depending on how the trades shake out, the aforementioned young core along with mid-20s players like Corey Kispert could be getting the lion’s share of minutes. Matchups against the Milwaukee Bucks, Oklahoma City Thunder, and back-to-back with the New York Knicks to close out the calendar year will show how Sarr and company perform against contenders after getting a few weeks of NBA games under their belts.
Final record prediction
The Wizards will finish around 20-62 this season. This would be a five-game improvement from last year, but would still be its second-worst campaign since the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season when it finished 20-46.
This would be an ideal outcome for Washington, as it would most likely finish with another lottery pick while gaining another year of experience for the young players. A slight improvement would show progress after a rock-bottom 2023-24 season, but too much winning would hurt its draft positioning.
If the Wizards deal their veterans for more draft capital while seeing good seasons from their young players, 2024-25 will be a success. Once they draft another elite prospect, they’ll be in a prime position to start competing by 2027.
