The Washington Wizards enter the 2024-25 season in Year 2 of an overdue rebuild under the front office leadership of Michael Winger and Will Dawkins. Even though the two are mutually collaborative, Winger focuses on the bigger picture for the organization, while Dawkins handles more of the Wizards’ day-to-day operations as general manager. Next summer’s draft will be flush with talent, so the Wizards likely will again rank near the top of the lottery odds and almost certainly not jockeying to sneak into the play-in tournament, which was the theme for the previous front office as instructed by ownership.
The upcoming season also marks Brian Keefe’s first season as full-time head coach after being named to the interim role early in 2024. Winger, Dawkins and Keefe all overlapped to varying degrees in Oklahoma City under GM Sam Presti, and they hope to follow the Thunder’s path of stockpiling draft picks and developing young talent on the way to championship contention. Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images FRONTCOURT After a somewhat surprising signing, the Wizards frontcourt will be anchored by Jonas Valančiūnas at center, filling the shoes of Daniel Gafford, who was traded for Richaun Holmes and a first-round pick at last season’s trade deadline.
Fans will remember Valančiūnas on the Toronto Raptors early in his career facing off against Washington in the playoffs. The Lithuanian big man will provide the team with a durable rebounder, which has eluded the franchise in .
