The Official Will Dawkins / Wiz Front Office Appreciation Thread

[payitforward]

I'm with doc's long post from last week.
Other than the Deni move, I have not read a single meaningful criticism of any of their moves. Not one. None.

1. The Beal trade was a triumph.
2. Overall, no team has done a better job than the Wizards in the draft over the last 4 years.
3. Acquiring Trae & AD for next to nothing... amazing: & I'm not even a Trae fan.
4. Assembling draft assets out the wazoo for the next several years... wow!

What's on the down side?

1. Trading Deni, while understandable, remains controversial.
2. Vukcevic continues to look like a low-value R2 pick.
3. Ryan Rollins' misbehavior can't be blamed on the FO, but it did cost us a guy who would be part of our core.
4. One could make a solid argument that we should have taken Cason Wallace in '23 rather than moving up 1 slot to pick Bilal.

What motivation anyone can find to critique any other of this FO's moves I fail to understand. Criticizing them by way of a comparison w/ SA is particularly idiotic.

No question about it: over the last 3 years & 3 months, these guys have been among the very best FO's in the league.

[ledell_gumbo]

I agree with the sentiment, but the Young contract is definitely a candidate for criticism. Even if he fits well as a player, the size and length of the deal seems well above market value. My best guess is that they backed themselves into a corner with an informal deal last year.

(I'm well aware of the broader cap situation, etc -- but 4/212 (with a player option!) always has ripple effects.)

[payitforward]

IMO NBD

[dckingsfan]

I'm with doc's long post from last week.
Other than the Deni move, I have not read a single meaningful criticism of any of their moves. Not one. None.

1. The Beal trade was a triumph.
2. Overall, no team has done a better job than the Wizards in the draft over the last 4 years.
3. Acquiring Trae & AD for next to nothing... amazing: & I'm not even a Trae fan.
4. Assembling draft assets out the wazoo for the next several years... wow!

What's on the down side?

1. Trading Deni, while understandable, remains controversial.
2. Vukcevic continues to look like a low-value R2 pick.
3. Ryan Rollins' misbehavior can't be blamed on the FO, but it did cost us a guy who would be part of our core.
4. One could make a solid argument that we should have taken Cason Wallace in '23 rather than moving up 1 slot to pick Bilal.

What motivation anyone can find to critique any other of this FO's moves I fail to understand. Criticizing them by way of a comparison w/ SA is particularly idiotic.

No question about it: over the last 3 years & 3 months, these guys have been among the very best FO's in the league.

Washington Wizards
Grade: D+

The Wizards' best move of the offseason -- drafting AJ Dybantsa No. 1 -- doesn't count for this grade, so the focus shifts to their other two notable moves of the summer: re-signing Trae Young to a four-year, $212 million deal and trading for Deandre Ayton.

I gave the Young contract a "D" grade because it seemed like such an overpay given Young's defensive issues and offensive decline, and I gave the Ayton trade a "C" grade because of his odd fit on a team with Anthony Davis, Alex Sarr and Tristan Vukcevic.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/49410979/nba-2026-offseason-grades-30-teams-free-agency-trades#was

I think there was another free agent signing - Kuzma - that you might be forgetting.

I give their overall grade a B- since they arrived. Where C is average. I think the Trae and AD trades were really bad - but let's see how that develops. I didn't like the Deni trade (at all) or the Kuzma signing (as it was limiting).

[doclinkin]

I agree with the sentiment, but the Young contract is definitely a candidate for criticism. Even if he fits well as a player, the size and length of the deal seems well above market value. My best guess is that they backed themselves into a corner with an informal deal last year.

(I'm well aware of the broader cap situation, etc -- but 4/212 (with a player option!) always has ripple effects.)

Never know.

I wouldnt have paid a 9-piece box of yesterday’s McNuggets for Kuzma. They gave him a player option. And still managed to trade him for, basically, Anthony Davis.

They seem to have a good read and good timing on market value. Selling a player for value. Getting better production out of the guy they pick up.

They got a good deal for Beal, who never fully recouped his value. They Immediately shifted CP3 who never reverted to his prior stats.

CP3 was flipped for the bargain basement version of Poole. Polished him up. Then shipped Poole after his 2nd best season of his career. Where he’s fallen off.

Who’s to say the team won’t get $212m worth of value from Young? Their whole schtick is they’re providing an environment for players to get better. Even veterans. What if Wiz Young is better than Hawks Young?

If you asked what sort of team would you have to build to make Trae Young a valuable player again. I think you’d come up with a better version of the roster we got right now: A rim protecting Big who plays well in the pick and roll. Shooters at every position around the perimeter. Big athletes who can finish in motion. Versatile defenders who can pressure opponents and threaten passing lanes.

By ‘better’ I mean more experienced. Stocked with postseason winners. Players who know how to win. Not guys on their rookie contract.

What would it take to say Young was worth his contract? All star appearances? Deep playoff runs? Making players around him better? A championship?

I wasn’t a fan of Hawks Trae’s overall game. But I wasn’t a fan of Westbrook before he landed here. I nodded along to the idea that a small PG is a liability. But then Brunson just won a chip. Who knows what Trae could do. Im leery of the cost of the extension AND I’m suspending my doubt for the moment. There are a number of marginal moves this FO has done that I doubted but then was proven wrong about.

My chief concern on Trae was it was motivated to sell tickets and give the FO breathing room. Give Monumental relief from the depression of the tank. That Ted and Zacky were pushing for a big splash.

But what if it wasn’t. What if the Wiz’ scouting is right on this one. What if Trae is indeed entering his NBA prime. If the next ~3 year stretch is the best in his career. That his downturn in ATL was more about roster chemistry and trying to carry too heavy a load than about any real decline in his skill set.

Because if we get 3 years of peak Trae, we are getting one hell of an offensive player. If we get 3 years of the Trae who played here last year, then any number of teams will line up as trade partners for that 4th year. Option or no.

Trae put up 26/10a/5r/1s per 36 here. On a tanking roster. Small sample size but it’s not like Poole or CJ wrung 10 assists a game out of our young crew. He did so on the lowest usage % of his career. That player is a leader. Fun to watch. A threat to win any game.

That Trae would be an allstar again. If we manage a winning record after a 17 win season, then he’s in conversation for various awards. MIP. MVP. All-NBA.

A lot of “if’s”. Understood. But not out of the bounds of probability. Players do switch teams and get a boost to their career. We’ve seen it with many former Wizards. Why not get some rebound karma coming back to us. Because a better version of the Ice Trae who still has New York chanting his name would be a fun player to cheer for. Let his offense win us some games. And the defense of AD win us some more.

[anselmheifer76]

I'm with doc's long post from last week.
Other than the Deni move, I have not read a single meaningful criticism of any of their moves. Not one. None.

1. The Beal trade was a triumph.
2. Overall, no team has done a better job than the Wizards in the draft over the last 4 years.
3. Acquiring Trae & AD for next to nothing... amazing: & I'm not even a Trae fan.
4. Assembling draft assets out the wazoo for the next several years... wow!

What's on the down side?

1. Trading Deni, while understandable, remains controversial.
2. Vukcevic continues to look like a low-value R2 pick.
3. Ryan Rollins' misbehavior can't be blamed on the FO, but it did cost us a guy who would be part of our core.
4. One could make a solid argument that we should have taken Cason Wallace in '23 rather than moving up 1 slot to pick Bilal.

What motivation anyone can find to critique any other of this FO's moves I fail to understand. Criticizing them by way of a comparison w/ SA is particularly idiotic.

No question about it: over the last 3 years & 3 months, these guys have been among the very best FO's in the league.

Washington Wizards
Grade: D+

The Wizards' best move of the offseason -- drafting AJ Dybantsa No. 1 -- doesn't count for this grade, so the focus shifts to their other two notable moves of the summer: re-signing Trae Young to a four-year, $212 million deal and trading for Deandre Ayton.

I gave the Young contract a "D" grade because it seemed like such an overpay given Young's defensive issues and offensive decline, and I gave the Ayton trade a "C" grade because of his odd fit on a team with Anthony Davis, Alex Sarr and Tristan Vukcevic.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/49410979/nba-2026-offseason-grades-30-teams-free-agency-trades#was

I think there was another free agent signing - Kuzma - that you might be forgetting.

I give their overall grade a B- since they arrived. Where C is average. I think the Trae and AD trades were really bad - but let's see how that develops. I didn't like the Deni trade (at all) or the Kuzma signing (as it was limiting).

What a super lazy/uninformed take by ESPN. Ayton is an odd fit? Behind Sarr, who currently has a broken foot, and AD, who misses a ton of time and might be traded? Not signing someone like Ayton would have been malpractice.

And I don’t think either the Trae or AD trades were bad trades. We paid Pennie’s on the dollar for both. Trae should really help us, but I do agree that his contract is an albatross and was a bad decision.

I just don’t see any way that our front office gives AD a big extension. It goes totally against everything they have said and done with regards to drafting and developing home grown talent and would absolutely make us unable to resign our own guys when we are stuck with a 35 year old AD. Until I’m proven wrong, in my mind, AD is 100% going to be traded for assets

This team has drafted super well. We have developed players very well. We’ve made shrewd trades to get out of bad contracts and we have accumulated a bunch of future draft assets through trades. Anyone that know that our plan was to tank, and that we succeeded and got the #2, then #6, then #1 overall picks, but is upset about Deni, seems like they are really just upset about intentionally tanking. Which, we just obviously needed to do.

I agree with the above post that the Trae contract is the only outright bad decision I’ve seen, and I’m not sure it’s going to affect us at all, unless we extend AD.

And if we do extend AD, I’m going to do a 180 and entirely change my tune.

[payitforward]

Kuzma?? -- -- Tre Mann was signed long after the 7/22 date of this run-through. They don't mention our moving Cam for that matter. Or the re-acquisition of Khris Middleton.

Main problem w/ the piece is that it was posted almost 6 weeks ago -- a lot has happened since then.

[doclinkin]

Washington Wizards
Grade: D+

The Wizards' best move of the offseason -- drafting AJ Dybantsa No. 1 -- doesn't count for this grade, so the focus shifts to their other two notable moves of the summer: re-signing Trae Young to a four-year, $212 million deal and trading for Deandre Ayton.

I gave the Young contract a "D" grade because it seemed like such an overpay given Young's defensive issues and offensive decline, and I gave the Ayton trade a "C" grade because of his odd fit on a team with Anthony Davis, Alex Sarr and Tristan Vukcevic.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/49410979/nba-2026-offseason-grades-30-teams-free-agency-trades#was

I think there was another free agent signing - Kuzma - that you might be forgetting.

I give their overall grade a B- since they arrived. Where C is average. I think the Trae and AD trades were really bad - but let's see how that develops. I didn't like the Deni trade (at all) or the Kuzma signing (as it was limiting).

Limiting how. The +/- difference between Deni and fat Kuzma would have jeopardized our top 10 Pick. Or top 8. We rode that horse to a dismal record. Had to play Kuzma heavy minutes instead of Champagnie for the same reason.

When we finally shipped him we got a first round pick and the rest of the pieces to trade for AD. That was a masterstroke as far as I’m concerned.

And yeah the writer doesn’t understand why we traded for Ayton. Says more about his intellect than that of the Wiz.

Yes we have Sarr + AD. AD wants to play 4 where possible. His injuries come from banging in the paint. The league is trending Big. We need to protect his value. Load manage him. And have a fallback plan if a trade materializes. If not midseason then maybe after a playoff push where he can audition for contenders.

It’s only smart money to add beef up front. Sarr is not yet fullsize. Vuk plays weak. Okpara has promise, but is a raw 2nd rounder.

Ayton is one of the most efficient scorers in the league. Yes he’s disinterested on defense. Maybe Ewing and Clifford can coach him up. But at least on offense Trae has another beast to feed in the paint.

Defensive issues for Trae. Ok. Fair to doubt. But I’d say his offensive decline is overblown. The Hawks just bet on JJ who played his best with Trae out if the game. But guess what, he also played worse when CJ joined the team. Maybe the problem is JJ not everybody else.

They hire anybody to write articles nowadays. Smh.

[dckingsfan]

If you don't like the take, you have to be a Wiz homer

I was responding to the "this FO has been amazing point". They have been above average but not amazing. Building around Trae and AD

[DCZards]

The Zards are building around AJ.

A quality PG—and oncourt leader—like Trae will be a major boost to the development of youngins like AJ, Sarr, Bilal, Ky and Tre.

If AD is healthy (and I know that’s a big if) he’s still one of the top 5 bigs in the NBA.

The trade for Ayton was one of the best moves of the offseason. Very few teams have a better backup big.

[dobrojim]

I'd say the change in trajectory since Beal/Brodie/Kuz has been impressive,

I don't like the Trae extension but am willing to withhold judgement for now.
We'll see how long the elder statesmen (Trae/AD) end up sticking around.

That said the quality and depth of the acquired young talent, albeit unproven but promising, has been stark.
How many folk here thought the team could be in the convo for best young core (as we have been) ?
It was painful to watch them lose enough to get the draft picks that allowed us to
pick Sarr, Tre and Dybantsa but how many years did we float in-between where we
had no chance of relevance in the playoffs, nor any chance of a high enough pick to escape?
Hence last 50 win season was so long ago no one remembers. And during that time the
frequency of playoff series wins has been abysmal.

the proof will be coming, up or down, in the next 1-2 years, maybe 3.

[TGW]

C-/D+ is about right. Other than drafting Dybantsa, this offseason has been pathetic.

[payitforward]

Obviously, no FO should be called "amazing" until they deliver a team that can compete -- at least for a conference title. & anyone who thinks it would have been possible to deliver such a result in the 3 years & 3 months since Winger/Dawkins took the reins of a totally fouled up franchise is fooling himself.

Moreover, the truth is that it's only the Deni trade motivating anyone here to critique Winger/Dawkins. Nothing else.

For example, what would make anyone think the Spurs FO is better at drafting than ours? If Will had had the #1 pick in '23, he'd have taken Wemby. Anyone would have. If SA had had the #2 pick in '24, they'd have taken Alex Sarr. & if we'd had their #4 pick, no doubt we'd have nabbed Stephon Castle. & if we'd had their pick in '25, & they'd had ours, we'd have taken Harper, & it seems perfectly possible that they'd have chosen Tre Johnson.

I'm not ready to give them high grades while down-rating our FO. If you are... well, let's hear a real reason.

[anselmheifer76]

If you don't like the take, you have to be a Wiz homer

I was responding to the "this FO has been amazing point". They have been above average but not amazing. Building around Trae and AD

If they are building around Trae and AD, then I would not be that far off from your opinion I guess.

I don’t think they are building around AD. I think they are rehabbing his value and trading him. And, if AD gets shipped out for more than we gave up for him, that’s another very positive move by the FO.

[payitforward]

C-/D+ is about right. Other than drafting Dybantsa, this offseason has been pathetic.

You would have done, or tried to do, what?

E.g. I think OKC essentially gave away Aaron Wiggins & Isaiah Joe -- would you have tried to acquire one of them in place of, say, Tre Mann?

[anselmheifer76]

C-/D+ is about right. Other than drafting Dybantsa, this offseason has been pathetic.

I just think we were never going to swing big in FA this year. It’s not like there was some fantastic PF available, and that was our one real hole. Ayton was a very solid pickup. But I think C- or D+ is probably fair if you are just grading FA this year.

On the flip side, FA this year does not change my opinion of the FO. Since they’ve arrived, they’ve dropped bad contracts, picked up a ton of draft assets, and successfully tanked to the point that we now look like we have a potential superstar to build around.

More impressively, I think their drafting and player development has been amazing. Kyshawn at the 24th pick, in what was perceived to be a terrible draft? I think George looks like he will be an all star, but regardless, he’s already exceeded expectations for his draft range. Will Riley at the 21st pick? Steal. Has any team been better at drafting and developing talent? And we have extra picks or pick swaps yearly moving forward.

Give me a FO that knows when to tank, and is incredible at drafting and developing players. That makes the Trae contract easy to forgive. Now I just need them not to extend AD.

[payitforward]

Terrific post! & on the money. For the life of me I cannot imagine what TGW & others are complaining about.

Especially given the failure to point at even one potential move they'd have preferred. Why don't one of you critics come up w/ something?

H*ll, I even suggested a couple of simple ideas (we could have tried to acquire one or both of Aaron Wiggins &/or Isaiah Joe). Maybe the inbred critics don't actually pay close enough attention to the league to know who guys like that are...? I don't know.... But there's a lot of content-free criticism these days.

Weird to me, given this is the most exciting time in Wizards history for at least a decade. Go figure....

[doclinkin]

If you don't like the take, you have to be a Wiz homer

I was responding to the "this FO has been amazing point". They have been above average but not amazing. Building around Trae and AD

Roster suggests we are building around a youth core. Trae + AD are just the latest Poole. Brogdon, Valanciunas, Smart, CJ, Middleton, high dollar vets at the top of the cap sheet.

Yes we locked in Young for a few years. Thats keeping our thumb in the books so we don’t have to constantly shuffle in new high dollar vets on expiring deals until the young pups need to be paid.

People freak out about the cost of the contract. But it’s based on an old way of thinking. Pre cap floor. Pre “Pre-agency” era. Since free agency is a tar pit. Seems dangerous to me to be forced to spend large $$$ to meet a minimum, when the top prizes are really not worth it.

Ask yourself what free agent we would have gotten this summer with Traes expiring cap space. Which FA would we have to overpay to join us. And are they an offensive all star.

I’m fine with critique if it’s informed and thoughtful. Fussing about Ayton was a quick take based on ignorance of the team, not careful analysis.

Hell I won’t quibble too much. I thought Cam might have better trade value at least if we showcased him in preseason catching lobs from Trae. Showed him as healthy from the blood clots.

Ayton came cheap for players we didn’t need. But I’m not a fan of no-defense 5’s.

Trae’s deal is tbd dependent on his health and how he integrates. Could be an F+. Could be a solid A.

We didn’t re-up AD but are in wait and see mode til Rich Paul wises up to his actual market value.

I’m at C+ as a floor. But feel if Trae and AD make it look like we are a legit fun destination, spread good news about the franchise, then this like offseason may In retrospect look like the place it all started. So a hindsight A+.

Until then I’m just ready for the season to start and the proof to show up on the court.

[payitforward]

Hear hear!

[dckingsfan]

I am only saying - this (IMO) is not an elite FO. It is a slightly above average FO. I would say C+ to B. They haven't sniffed A since the started the rebuild in full.

There were LOTS of deals with teams like OKC where we could have had players and picks. But we jumped the guy badly. We did so with Kuz as well. History may not repeat itself but it sure rhymes.

The FO has done somethings well. Others, not so much. You really have to squint hard to try to see this group as an "elite" FO.