Grading the Wizards' Transaction-Filled Offseason So Far

He'll headline a vast pool of fellow draftees alongside household names like Trae Young and Anthony Davis in joining their collective effort to push the franchise's dilapidated reputation out from the basement, and thanks to some of the business deals the Wizards have made since the draft pick, Dybantsa should be working with even more of a stacked deck than anyone would have assumed a few months ago.

Some additions have arrived through raw free agency, others by way of crafty trades. In evaluating the summertime performance in full, here are the individual maneuvers they've pulled off by this point, from oldest to latest.

Trae Young Cashes In on Re-Signing

The All-Star point guard's amble into free agency opened the door for a few days of nervous conspiracy, but there was never any major doubt that he'd turn heel on the Wizards after reportedly angling his way to get there just earlier this year.

In Washington, he saw an opportunity to start anew after his Atlanta Hawks ousted him, this time in a re-set alongside a young corps that looked even more loaded than what he had to work with when his old team looked like a future contender in the early-2020s. He also made out like a bandit when he waived his player-option in lieu of a pseudo-extension, signing back to his new situation to the tune of a four-year, $212 million agreement.

As gaudy as that deal looked upon announcement, the Wizards' thought process proved easier to follow than it initially looked.

Despite Young's age and his warts as a ball-dominant floor general, he's viewed as an investment to make the lives of Dybantsa and his fellow point-forwards easier, and he shouldn't interfere with the next few seasons' cap-based strategies. They had to spend that money somewhere, and he made for a fitting-enough candidate as a floor-raising distributor and pick-and-roll engine.

The only still-unresolved general qualms associated with that deal center around the nitty-gritty of that monetary figure. Even if we look past the $53 million average annual value he could be raking in through 2030, the contract's four-year length has understandably frightened fans worried about his long-term fit and durability as a small and less-than-flexible guard, as has the backloaded nature of the finances- specifically, the $58 million player option awaiting Young at the end of the tunnel.

This is where we have to remember that what looks like a lot of money right now won't count quite the same against a constantly-changing salary cap years from now. The market is unpredictable, but so is Washington's status as an up-and-comer; as excited as Young seems to be about D.C., only time will tell if he'll pay off the Wizards' weighty trust in him.

Jamir Watkins Quietly Returns on a Bargain

While Young spent all but five games of his time as a Wizard on the sideline, Washington's less-heralded prospects soaked up the minutes left over by the injured star veterans and draftees.

Few pieces took advantage of the open runs quite like Jamir Watkins, the defensive-minded wing the Wizards scooped up with their 2025 second round pick. Where he fell short of fellow rookie classmates Tre Johnson and Will Riley as electric scorers, he made up for his relatively-lower upside as a physical stopper willing to stay glued to assignments of all calibers.

He earned a two-year contract in the previous season's waning months, with management elevating the worker from the two-way deal he'd spent just about all of his games on, but they only did so to ensure that they wouldn't have to worry about the 50-game cap that straddling options are legally-limited to. The Wizards passed up on picking up Watkins' non-guaranteed team-option for 2026-27 before quickly scooping him back up on a second two-way pact just like the one he'd started out on last fall, a bargain considering the services he's proven to provide.

He'll be an outside candidate to play meaningful minutes this upcoming campaign, but he made good use of the NBA Summer League in reminding everyone just how valuable his unique combination of instincts and physicality are on the defensive end. In his lone Las Vegas outing before exiting with an injury, he held Darryn Peterson down with some of the more dogged coverage you'll see on the professional prospect.

It's a testament to the Wizards' newfound depth that he won't play immediately when regular season play commences, now tasked with working his way up from the G League once again.

Deandre Ayton Moves East

Just as Young needed a fresh start, Deandre Ayton could similarly benefit from something new. Except unlike his 2028 NBA Draft classmate, Ayton didn't live up to the top prospect billing that Dybantsa now finds himself saddled with, most recently falling short as the Los Angeles Lakers' starting center on his third team in four years.

The Wizards, unlike the LeBron James and Luka Doncic-based Lakers, remain far from the public eye, and that may be just what Ayton needs to build some of his value back up. He'll slide in as the primary backup big behind Alex Sarr and fellow Lakers outcast Davis, a reserve position he's never consistently played at the professional level, but Young's entry passing should empower Ayton's rim-based play-finishing enough to the point that he has a good chance to rebuild his image.

The Wizards, for their part, find themselves in a no-lose scenario. There aren't any contending stakes attached to this upcoming season, and should Ayton disappoint in his new role, he'll only be raking in $8 million on an expiring deal. Besides, he merely cost Jaden Hardy and far-out second round draft assets to bring aboard, and he's far more recently-qualified than any other second-string option who was out there in free agency.

For his proven faults as a one-time franchise pillar, this is about as well as the Wizards could have done to fill their desperate need for size.

Khris Middleton Chooses the Wizards

Finally, we arrive at the most recent of the transactions, and this one is unlike any other. Former Wizard Khris Middleton, finally free to choose his next home after riding out his hefty contract, opted to return right back to the same team who traded him months ago as the returning financial centerpiece of the Davis deal.

He'd proven during his pair of fragmented Wizards seasons that he's not the star scorer he used to be, lacking the athleticism that's required of competitive fixtures. Regardless, Washington never gave up Middleton as a trade asset, starting him for each of his 48 Wizards appearances in an effort to squeeze out whatever value they could out of him.

And it's hard to criticize that process upon reflection, especially considering the team's ability to flip him, along with some fringe picks and rotational pieces, for Davis while the Dallas Maverick's value was at an all-time low. To make things weirder, he'll be joined for his first season as an active Wizard by none other than Middleton, who's willingly signing up for more D.C. action as a rotation-extending veteran.

The Wizards have already made it clear that wing prospects like Dybantsa, Riley and Kyshawn George will take precedent this upcoming season, meaning that Middleton will slide into the lineup's depth as a still-dangerous shooter and a clever playmaker with size of his own. He said during his previous stint as a Wizard that he was pleasantly surprised by the organization's culture and management, and he's proving his excitement about building toward something in his inking.

He actually cost something in facilitating a sign-and-trade, but all the Wizards lost was D'Angelo Russell, who wasn't ever going to play for Washington since joining Davis in that mega-trade, along with more low-stakes draft capital in a convoluted six-team orchestration.

Even if Middleton doesn't contribute much outside of occasional buckets and guidance, consider this another margin win for the Wizards' asset managers. They originally acquired the highly-paid Middleton when they turned a disgruntled Kyle Kuzma into the Milwaukee Bucks star two seasons ago; they then flipping Middleton's money into Davis and Russell, the latter of whom has already been swapped for a much cheaper (and less guaranteed) version of Middleton on his way back to the team.

Grade: A