Hoops Rumors is checking in on the 2026 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, recapping the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll take a look at each team’s offseason moves and consider what might still be coming before the regular season begins. Today, we’re focusing on the Washington Wizards.
Free agent signings
Trae Young: Four years, $212,799,690. Fourth-year player option. Trade kicker (7.5%). Re-signed using Bird rights.
Khris Middleton: Three years, $17,612,204. Second year partially guaranteed ($908,878). Third-year non-guaranteed. Acquired from Mavericks via sign-and-trade using matching salary.
Trades
Acquired the draft rights to Felix Okpara (No. 46 pick) from the Magic in a three-team trade in exchange for the draft rights to Izaiyah Nelson (No. 51 pick; to Magic) and the draft rights to Malique Lewis (No. 60 pick; to Bucks).
Acquired Deandre Ayton from the Lakers in exchange for Jaden Hardy, the Wizards’ 2031 second-round pick, and the Wizards’ 2032 second-round pick.
Acquired Khris Middleton (via sign-and-trade) and the Mavericks’ 2033 second-round pick from the Mavericks in a six-team trade in exchange for D’Angelo Russell (to Grizzlies), the Lakers’ 2029 second-round pick (to Grizzlies), the Wizards’ 2033 second-round pick (to Grizzlies), and the right to swap 2032 second-round picks (to Grizzlies).
Acquired Tre Mann from the Hornets, a “second-most favorable” 2027 second-round pick from the Clippers, and cash from the Cavaliers in a five-team trade in exchange for Cam Whitmore (to Cavaliers) and Julian Reese (two-way; to Nuggets).
Draft picks
1-1: AJ Dybantsa
Signed to rookie scale contract (four years, $66,914,053). First two years guaranteed. Third- and fourth-year team options.
2-46: Felix Okpara
Signed to two-way contract.
Two-way signings
Felix Okpara
One year, $91,000 partial guarantee (will increase to $339,441 at start of regular season).
Jamir Watkins
One year, $91,000 partial guarantee (will increase to $339,441 at start of regular season).
Departed/unsigned free agents
Sharife Cooper (unsigned)
Anthony Gill (unsigned)
Other roster moves
Waived Leaky Black (two-way contract).
Salary cap situation
Note: Figures are rounded to one decimal place.
Operating over the cap ($165MM) and below the first tax apron ($209MM).
Hard-capped at first apron.
Team salary: $192MM (tax/apron).
Below luxury tax line by $8.4MM; below hard cap by $17MM.
Full non-taxpayer mid-level exception ($15MM) available.
Two traded player exceptions available (largest worth $6MM).
The offseason so far
After finishing with the worst record (17-65) in the NBA in 2025/26, the Wizards entered the draft lottery tied for the best possible odds (14%) to land the No. 1 overall pick. Washington ended up winning the lottery, marking the first time since the previous draft lottery format was implemented in 2019 that the league’s worst team claimed the first overall selection.
The Wizards were linked to AJ Dybantsa after the lottery results were revealed in May and selected the 6’9″ small forward about six weeks later. The Massachusetts native is coming off a stellar freshman season in which he averaged an NCAA-best 25.5 points per game to go along with 6.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.1 steals in 35 appearances (34.8 MPG).
An excellent athlete with tremendous size for a wing, Dybantsa is incredibly difficult to stop once he gets moving toward the basket, having led the country in both free throw attempts and free throws made. He also excels in the mid range and should have no trouble creating his own shot in the NBA.
On the other hand, the 19-year-old is quite ball-dominant at this point in his development in part because his outside shot lags behind other parts of his game. He also didn’t play particularly well defensively for the Cougars, though he has the physical attributes to eventually become a plus on that end.
The Wizards have won 15, 18 and 17 games in the last three seasons, but didn’t have a clear-cut franchise player to show for it yet. They’re certainly hoping Dybantsa is that player as the team looks to be more competitive ahead of his rookie season.
It feels like the move flew under the radar somewhat with so many major trades this offseason, but one of the most surprising transactions of the summer was Washington’s decision to sign Trae Young to a four-year, $212.8MM deal — the maximum the four-time All-Star could have received from a rival team.
That contract was actually agreed to a day before the Wizards selected Dybantsa. It’s unclear exactly why they felt the need to give Young a max deal, considering he was coming off a season in which he played a career-low 15 games and has long been one of the worst defenders in the league. But evidently the team believes Young will play a key role in improving an offense that ranked 29th in the NBA in 2025/26.
Washington made a few trades this offseason, starting with a draft-night deal in which the team packaged the 51st and 60th picks to move up to No. 46. The Wizards acquired former Tennessee center Felix Okpara in that deal and later signed the Nigerian big man to a two-way contract.
The second trade involved sending Jaden Hardy and two second-round picks to the Lakers for Deandre Ayton, who was selected first overall in 2018, the same year Young went fifth.
While Ayton hasn’t lived up to his pre-draft status and he can be frustrating to watch because his effort doesn’t always match his talent, he still brings an interesting combination of size and skill and he could end up playing an important reserve role in Washington, where Anthony Davis and Alex Sarr project to start at power forward and center, respectively. Whether Ayton will be satisfied with coming off the bench is an open question.
The Wizards reunited with Khris Middleton in a six-team deal in which they sent D’Angelo Russell to Memphis. They clearly like Middleton’s veteran presence, as they basically gave up a second-round pick and a second-round swap to sign him to a three-year, $17.6MM contract.
However, the deal is only fully guaranteed for the first season — Middleton will make $5.6MM in 2026/27 — with a small partial guarantee ($908K) for year two and no guaranteed money for 2028/29. In other words, the three-time All-Star, who turned 35 earlier this month, probably isn’t in the team’s long-term plans.
Washington recently recouped one second-rounder in another complex trade involving five teams. They added Tre Mann in that deal, a player GM Will Dawkins is very familiar with from their time together in Oklahoma City, and sent out Cam Whitmore (to Cleveland) and two-way forward Julian Reese (to Denver).
Up next
The Wizards still have an open spot on their 15-man standard roster and are approximately $8.4MM below the tax line ($17MM below their first-apron hard cap). They also have their entire non-taxpayer mid-level exception ($15MM) available, as well as a pair of traded player exceptions, the largest being worth $6MM.
Washington reportedly offered Russell Westbrook a two-year deal before he retired and the team was linked multiple times to DeMar DeRozan before he decided to sign with the Nuggets. That suggests the front office wasn’t entirely comfortable with its backup ball-handlers behind Young; it’s unclear if Mann’s acquisition may have changed that thinking.
For each of the past six years, veteran forward Anthony Gill has been the Wizards’ 15th man, and he remains an unrestricted free agent. If they end up signing him — or any other veteran — to a one-year, minimum-salary deal, they’d be about $5.95MM below the tax threshold.
In addition to a standard roster opening, the Wizards opened up a two-way slot after they traded Reese. They might leave that spot open for now and promote an Exhibit 10 training camp invitee to a two-way deal down the line, or they could fill it before camp opens. Either way, the player probably won’t have a significant role this season.
While Davis is extension-eligible, it sounds like he and the Wizards have mutually decided to wait until the season begins before they discuss a possible new deal. The 10-time All-Star will be extension-eligible for the entire league year, with a $62.8MM player option for 2027/28.
Former lottery pick Bilal Coulibaly is eligible for an extension as well, but only until October 19, the day before the regular season begins. The French forward has an intriguing mix of size, athleticism and defensive versatility, but he has also battled injuries in his first three seasons and his offensive game is a work in progress. If an agreement isn’t reached this offseason, Coulibaly will be on track for restricted free agency next summer.
Luke Adams contributed to this article.