Bub Carrington's statement about Wizards controversial in more ways than one

"We're nice, we're talented, we're gifted individuals, all of us," Carrington said. "We're very talented; we just haven't been told, yet, to go be the best version of yourself... 

"Like, we've all, 'in a way,'" Carrington said with air quotes, "been held back, just because, like you said, we were trying to get AJ Dybantsa. That's no secret. That's no secret. But now, no one has handcuffs; everyone's shackles-free. So that alone is already a conversation starter. But then you put that on top of the coaching, on top of the vets that we have – that's a playoff team."

It was not immediately clear what Carrington was referencing with the air quotes or the "like you said" stipulation to Kramsky. But on its face, the statement amounts to an admission that the Wizards, wittingly and on an institutional level, tanked at least one season to secure the most desirable draft pick possible, with the gig coming good this past summer as Washington won the draft lottery and selected Dybantsa first overall.

Such a bold confession could easily be enough to demand a response from the NBA and its commissioner Adam Silver, who in 2018 fined then-Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban $600,000 for making a similar statement. However, it seems that the league will not pursue similar punishment in this case, as The Athletic's Sam Amick has reported that no discipline is expected.

Playoffs claim bold enough on its own

Aside from admitting to tanking, Carrington's claim that the Wizards should be a playoff team is shocking enough in its own way. Washington last secured a playoff berth in the 2020-21 season, coming in eighth in the Eastern Conference then and failing to finish better than 12th since.

Of course, the team has made significant changes in the last year, adding Anthony Davis and a handsomely paid Trae Young on top of the star rookie Dybantsa to construct a roster that may be the franchise's best since it featured John Wall.

But plenty of other Eastern Conference teams have improved as well, and with lottery reforms taking effect that discourage tanking schemes like Washington's alleged efforts, wins should be harder to come by across the board in 2026-27 as every team's incentive to lose games disappears.

Whatever else happens, Dybantsa is a Wizard now, and that should boost the team's fortunes for years to come whether his services were fairly obtained or not. Whether an organization that has been one of the league's more hapless representatives for some time can truly make the most of his potential, in both the short- and long-term, remains to be seen.