Montrezl Harrell Says Wizards’ Roster Looks Like A Disaster

Although the Washington Wizards ended the 2025-26 season in the bottom rung of the Eastern Conference, they may not remain in the same spot for long. With the roster moves at the trade deadline this year, along with their offseason additions, Washington is primed to be more competitive.

From forming the superstar duo of Anthony Davis and Trae Young to selecting AJ Dybansta with the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft, the Wizards look promising. However, former Wizards forward Montrezl Harrell is not enamored with the team’s roster moves.

While speaking about the Washington Wizards’ rebuild and the team’s identity entering the new campaign with Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson, Harrell did not mince his words while criticizing Washington’s team-building approach. He shared:

“I don’t know what the hell Washington is doing, to be honest with you. It doesn’t make sense. They got the young kid AJ Dybantsa, but he’s at the three. You bring over Deandre Ayton, but you already drafted the young kid Alex Sarr. Then you have Anthony Davis, but you have another center on the bench in Tristan Vukcevic. Now you have four centers because you also have Jonas Valanciunas.”

It is worth noting that Harrell may have gotten some facts jumbled up here. While the Wizards certainly do have depth in the big man rotation with Alex Sarr, Deandre Ayton, and Tristan Vukcevic forming the bulk of the rotation, former Nuggets big man Jonas Valanciunas is no longer in the NBA after choosing to move back to Europe.

While this may be an error, it doesn’t necessarily undermine the validity of Harrell’s concerns regarding Washington’s roster, as he continued:

“Your only backup to Anthony Davis right now is Anthony Gill, and then you have Trae Young with no legitimate two-guard playing. It looks like a disaster. Their starting five are Trae Young, Khris Middleton, AJ Dybantsa, Anthony Davis, and Deandre Ayton. But when you look at that bench, you can beat them with that every night.”

“It’s going to be something where the coach is going to have to coach that team. There is a lot of uncertainty down there. I don’t see them being in any serious conversation in the East. Maybe they can get into a play-in situation, but I don’t see them being a crazy East contender. I just don’t know what their team identity is.”

For the most part, Montrezl Harrell makes some solid observations. Although the Wizards have some promising pieces, relegating their chances as a contender seems fairly justified. However, one could also say that the forward is being overly critical of Washington’s potential.

Harrell’s starting lineup seems to make sense given the reputation of players on the roster. Realistically, however, it might be slightly modified.

While the trio of Anthony Davis, Trae Young, and AJ Dybantsa will form the foundation of the starting five, they are more likely to be joined by Alex Sarr at center and Kyshawn George at shooting guard.

Last season, Sarr displayed phenomenal two-way upside, averaging 16.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, 0.8 steals, and 2.0 blocks per game. Meanwhile, George showed notable development as a prototypical wing, posting 14.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game while shooting 43.8% from the field and 38.1% from three-point range.

With an emphasis on developing younger talent, these two are likely to get more minutes in the starting lineup with veterans like Deandre Ayton and Khris Middleton shoring up the bench rotation. Since Bub Carrington (10.7 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 4.6 APG) has also shown potential, he could be a solid backup point guard to Trae Young.

As mentioned earlier, the Wizards’ potential is intriguing. However, their ability to compete will ultimately come down to health. Since injuries are commonplace for players like Trae Young and Anthony Davis, Washington must preserve them for longer if the Wizards are to mount a playoff push.