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Wizards Notes: Coulibaly, George, Lottery, Wall, Haywood

October 31st, 2025 at 11:11pm CST by Rory Maher

Third-year Wizards forward Bilal Coulibaly had an impressive season debut in Thursday’s loss to Oklahoma City, as Josh Robbins of The Athletic details.

Coulibaly missed the entire preseason and the first four games of 2025/26 after undergoing surgery last month to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb. The 21-year-old suffered that injury while playing for the French national team at EuroBasket 2025.

Coulibaly, who will be eligible for a rookie scale extension next summer after having his fourth-year option for 2026/27 exercised, recorded 16 points, eight rebounds, four assists, one steal and three blocks in 24 minutes against the Thunder. While the statistics speak for themselves, the manner in which the French wing produced was an encouraging sign for the Wizards, Robbins writes.

“I’ve worked too much to be passive and all that,” Coulibaly said afterward. “I’m just trying to be as active as possible this year. Every possession, everybody’s got to feel me. I think it will be a really good step up.”

The seventh overall pick in the 2023 draft, Coulibaly was immediately reinserted into the starting lineup, with Bub Carrington moving to the bench. Head coach Brian Keefe likes the defensive versatility of Coulibaly, Kyshawn George and Alex Sarr, and believes they can eventually form the “backbone of a top defense,” according to Robbins.

“He thinks we are guys that can really defend and be on top of the league at some point,” Coulibaly said.

Here’s more on the Wizards:

  • George, who will get more on-ball reps with the starters now that Carrington is running the second unit, recently spoke to Grant Afseth of RG.org about a number of topics, including what has led to his strong start to the season. The 21-year-old guard/forward says he hasn’t just been working to improve his on-court skills, but his leadership as well. “I think it ties into the player I want to be in the future — one of the best,” George told Afseth. “And I think to be one of the best, you’ve got to be a leader and you’ve got to be aggressive on the court. I worked a whole lot during the offseason. I was in Washington most of my offseason for a reason, and I think now it’s just about me putting it into practice in the game.”
  • While it’s promising that George, Sarr, Coulibaly and Tre Johnson, among others, appear to be taking steps forward in their development, the Wizards will still need lottery luck next year if they hope to find a star-level talent, contends David Aldridge of The Athletic. As Aldridge observes, the 2026 draft class is considered very strong at the top, with Darryn Peterson, A.J. Dybantsa and Cameron Boozer all viewed as having considerable upside.
  • Former Wizards star John Wall and ex-Wizards big man Brendan Haywood have joined the team’s local broadcasts as analysts on Monumental Sports Network, as Scott Allen of The Washington Post relays (subscriber link).
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Wizards Pick Up 2026/27 Options On Six Players

October 30th, 2025 at 9:59am CST by Luke Adams

9:59 am: The Wizards have officially exercised those six options, the team confirmed in a press release.

7:54 am: The Wizards will exercise their team options for the 2026/27 season on the rookie scale contracts of six players, according to Josh Robbins of The Athletic (Twitter link). Those players are as follows:

Coulibaly and Whitmore were selected seventh and 20th overall, respectively, in the 2023 draft, while Sarr (No. 2), Carrington (No. 14), Johnson (No. 23), and George (No. 24) were drafted in 2024. In total, they’ll earn roughly $38.3MM during the 2026/27 season.

While Johnson, who was acquired from Milwaukee in last season’s Khris Middleton/Kyle Kuzma trade, has only seen garbage-time action so far this season and Coulibaly has yet to make his season debut following offseason thumb surgery, the other four players in this group are either starting or have regular roles off the bench for Washington through four games this season.

George and Sarr, in particular, are off to strong starts. George, the team’s leading scorer, has averaged 20.3 points, 9.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.5 blocks, and 1.3 steals per game and made 53.8% of his three-point shots; Sarr has put up 19.5 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 4.5 APG, and 2.0 BPG.

Coulibaly and Whitmore will now become eligible to sign rookie scale extensions as of July 2026 and would reach restricted free agency in 2027 if they don’t sign new contracts next year. The Wizards will have to decide next fall on fourth-year (2027/28) options for Sarr, Carrington, Johnson, and George, assuming they’re all still on the roster by that point.

Rookie scale team option decisions for 2026/27 are due on Friday. We’re tracking all of them right here.

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Southeast Notes: McNeeley, Carrington, Newell, Young, Achiuwa

October 19th, 2025 at 9:57pm CST by Eli Cohen

Liam McNeeley‘s preseason stats for the Hornets may not jump off the page, but he’s earned a fan in head coach Charles Lee, according to The Charlotte Observer’s Roderick Boone, who suggests the No. 29 overall pick has a chance to be the steal of the 2025 draft.

McNeeley averaged just 6.4 points and 2.4 rebounds per game while hitting 14.3% of his threes in five preseason appearances after excelling in his rookie season Summer League. He finished the preseason on something of a high note, scoring in double digits during his lone start on Friday.

Lee was impressed with McNeeley’s approach throughout training camp and the preseason.

“Offensively, he’s really got the total package to him,” Lee said. “I’ve been able to watch him catch-and-shoot, I’ve been able to see him drive the ball and facilitate to guys. He offensive rebounds, and so he’s just another one of our core young guys that I think has this mindset of I just want to impact winning at all costs.”

Having said that, the rookie wing is far from a finished product, and Lee has clear ideas about where he needs to improve.

“The goal for him is just to continue to build consistent habits,” Lee said. “He’s still got to learn to finish things defensively and how to bring an edge and a physicality on that side of the court.”

We have more news from around the Southeast Division:

  • Wizards second-year guard Bub Carrington was a full participant in Sunday’s practice after knee soreness limited him to just four minutes in Washington’s preseason game against the Pistons on Thursday, reports Josh Robbins of The Athletic (via Twitter). Carrington faces one of the more important seasons among Washington’s players, given the offseason additions of veteran CJ McCollum and top-10 draft pick Tre Johnson, both of whom project to command significant minutes throughout the season.
  • Hawks‘ first-round pick Asa Newell picked up a rare start on Monday’s preseason game against the Heat, with Atlanta resting its top rotation players. It was an opportunity Newell capitalized on, writes Lauren Williams for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. In just over 36 minutes, he scored 19 points, grabbed eight rebounds, and had two steals and blocks apiece. His energy and nose for the ball impressed head coach Quin Snyder. “I love the fact that he’s quickly kind of reading and taking a shot when he’s open,” Snyder said. “I think he’ll even begin to understand kind of more situational basketball, when he’s open and (whether) he can make one more.”
  • Jahmir Young made it through the Heat‘s set of roster decisions on Saturday and came out of it with his Exhibit 10 deal converted into a two-way contract. It’s an opportunity he isn’t taking for granted, writes Anthony Chiang for the Miami Herald. “It’s harder to stay than to be here,” Young said. “So for me, just every day, just being my best self, being 100 percent and helping the team. “Just being in an organization that works on player development, really works on guys. It’s amazing. It just gives me life. Just shows that I have to keep working.” Head coach Erik Spoelstra spoke highly of Young after Sunday’s practice: “That speed and quickness with the ball, his ability to get in the paint, ability to knock down threes is unique. He had a really good year last year. And then in practice, when we had him in that third unit, drilling against him and kind of letting him do his thing, he was a tough guy to corral.”
  • Spoelstra also addressed the Heat’s decision to waive Precious Achiuwa. “It is tough, especially because we spent time with him four years ago, it felt like we wanted to keep that going,” Spoelstra said, per Chiang. “But that’s just where we are right now with the roster. We’ll have to see what happens in the future.” Achiuwa averaged 4.8 points and 5.3 rebounds in 11.7 minutes per game across four preseason outings. Hanging onto him would have pushed Miami’s team salary over the luxury tax line.
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Wizards Notes: McCollum, Carrington, Whitmore, Kispert

October 1st, 2025 at 5:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

CJ McCollum found a unique way to express the age difference between himself and his new Wizards teammates, writes Bijan Todd of Monumental Sports Network. The 34-year-old guard, who runs a successful winery, noted that many of them aren’t old enough to legally partake of his product.

The list includes second-year players Bub Carrington and AJ Johnson, who are both 20, along with this year’s first-round picks, Tre Johnson and Will Riley, who are 19. McCollum was acquired from New Orleans this summer to serve as a mentor to the young talent, and he said the process started early.

“The guys are asking questions. Obviously they’re able to see how I work and how I got to where I’m at within this league in terms of the respect I have, but also I how I play,” McCollum told reporters at media day. “I think they’ll learn a lot from me just by osmosis, by being around, but also me being able to help out and explain why I do things the way I do, why I prepare the way I do, why I get in at the times that I do.”

McCollum identified Carrington as being especially inquisitive and complimented him for “asking the right questions.” Carrington is expected to be the team’s starting point guard this season, and McCollum has many years of experience in that role.

“It’s super exciting. It’s crazy that I’m even on the same team as him because CJ McCollum was someone that my whole life I’ve been compared to, and my whole life I’ve actually looked up to,” Carrington said. “And I’ve actually kind of had a cheat sheet on CJ McCollum because he went to Lehigh and my brother went to Lehigh as well, so I already knew of him and watched him even when he was in college. … He’s here until 3 p.m., I’m here until 3 p.m. talking to him. I think he loves it though. I’m starting to realize he likes to talk too. It’s kind of helping both of us, I guess.”

There’s more from Washington:

  • General manager Will Dawkins was fond enough of Cam Whitmore heading into the 2023 draft that he asked the D.C. native if he would be comfortable playing for his hometown team, per Chase Hughes of Monumental Sports Network. Whitmore will finally get that chance after being acquired from Rockets following two years of inconsistent playing time. “He obviously didn’t get as much of an opportunity in Houston for whatever reason, but he understands that he’s going to have opportunity here but it’s gotta be earned,” Dawkins said. “I don’t know when that’s going to come, but he’s excited. He’s a powerful, explosive, dynamic athlete who can compete on both ends. We’ve gotta get him to be consistent.”
  • Corey Kispert underwent thumb surgery in March, but he said at media day that it didn’t affect his offseason workouts, tweets Josh Robbins of The Athletic.
  • Varun Shankar of The Washington Post (subscription required) previews the training camp battles for playing time, especially on the wing, where there will be an opportunity while Bilal Coulibaly recovers from thumb ligament surgery.
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Wizards Notes: Whitmore, Gill, Centers, Outlaw

July 5th, 2025 at 7:16pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Wizards‘ acquisition of Cam Whitmore from the Rockets will be folded into a four-player trade with the Pelicans that was reported last month, a source tells Varun Shankar of The Washington Post (subscriber link). That deal sends Jordan Poole, Saddiq Bey and the 40th pick in this year’s draft (Micah Peavy) to New Orleans in exchange for CJ McCollum, Kelly Olynyk and a future second-round selection.

Combining the two trades into one will allow the Wizards to acquire Whitmore without using a separate trade exception or a portion of their mid-level or bi-annual exception.

Houston is trading Whitmore to a rebuilding team to give him a shot at increased playing time, but Shankar points out that it might be just as difficult for Whitmore to get on the court in Washington as it was during his two seasons with the Rockets. He views Bilal Coulibaly, Alex Sarr, Bub Carrington, Kyshawn George and lottery pick Tre Johnson as locks to be in the rotation.

Whitmore will have to compete with young prospects Will Riley, AJ Johnson, Justin Champagnie and Dillon Jones, along with McCollum and fellow veterans Khris Middleton, Marcus Smart, Corey Kispert and Richaun Holmes.

Shankar also points out that Whitmore and Coulibaly were part of the same draft class in 2023, which means they’ll both be eligible for rookie scale extensions next summer.

There’s more from Washington:

  • The Wizards waived Anthony Gill last weekend to avoid paying his $2.5MM salary for the upcoming season, but he’s likely to be brought back as the team’s 15th man, Josh Robbins of The Athletic states in a mailbag column. A new deal will be a win for both sides, Robbins explains, as the 32-year-old forward will earn about $121K more on a veteran’s minimum contract and the league’s reimbursement policy will cause Gill to have a smaller salary cap hit. Washington has a minor roster crunch as a result of its moves so far, so the team would have to make additional trades or cuts to make room on the regular season roster for Gill.
  • The Wizards aren’t likely to pursue another center to join Sarr, Olynyk and Holmes, Robbins states in the same piece. Even though Washington ranked near the bottom of the league in defensive rebounding percentage, Robbins notes that there’s not a strong incentive to win this season because the team’s first-round draft pick will convey to New York if it falls out of the top eight. Robbins adds that the Wizards didn’t try to sign any big men when free agency began, and he doesn’t expect that stance to change unless Olynyk or Holmes gets traded.
  • Assistant J.J. Outlaw will serve as the Wizards’ Summer League coach, team sources tell Robbins (Twitter link). Outlaw joined Brian Keefe’s coaching staff last July after five seasons in Cleveland.
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Southeast Notes: Heat, Howard, Sarr, Carrington

May 20th, 2025 at 5:51pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Heat must be aggressive this offseason and willing to remain in luxury tax territory to improve the roster, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes. If Giannis Antetokounmpo, Ja Morant and/or Zion Williamson become available at the right price, the Heat should pursue those opportunities, according to Jackson, who says that includes looking into the possibility of making a deal with the Celtics, who are facing a prohibitive tax bill next season.

The Heat should also gauge the Hornets‘ interest in removing protections on the 2027 first-round pick the Heat owe them for the Terry Rozier deal, perhaps by offering an unprotected 2032 pick with added incentives, Jackson says. That would allow Miami to offer up to four first-round picks instead of three in a deal for a star.

What the Heat need to stop doing, in Jackson’s view, is overvaluing their assets. While they shouldn’t be shopped outright, Bam Adebayo or Tyler Herro shouldn’t be off the table in a blockbuster deal if it helps the team acquire an even more talented player, Jackson contends.

We have more from the Southeast Division:

  • The Heat should seriously consider moving the No. 20 pick in this year’s draft, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel opines. The pick they owe the Hornets currently puts them under restrictions from trading some of their future first-rounders. If they deal the No. 20 pick for any first-round pick in 2027, it could open multiple first-round picks for trades in the coming years, Winderman notes.
  • Jett Howard got more opportunities in his second season with the Magic but didn’t take advantage of them, Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel writes. He appeared in 60 games but averaged just 4.5 points in 11.7 minutes per game. Howard remains confident he can be an impact player with more playing time. “I can shoot the ball at a pretty high level,” he said. “Getting used to doing that out there … It’s hard being called in sometimes and not other times, but that’s just with anything [as] a young guy trying to get into the league, trying to get navigate through that and get some comfortability with that.”
  • As we relayed earlier today, Alex Sarr and Bub Carrington earned All-Rookie honors. How rare is that for the Wizards franchise? They are the first Washington players to make an All-Rookie team since Rui Hachimura was a second-team pick in 2019/20, Varun Shankar of the Washington Post notes. The only other time the franchise had two selections was when Rod Thorn and Gus Johnson earned the honor in 1963/64 for the Baltimore Bullets.
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NBA Announces 2024/25 All-Rookie Teams

May 20th, 2025 at 1:04pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA has officially revealed its All-Rookie teams for the 2024/25 season (Twitter links). The First Team is made up the top two picks in the 2024 draft, a pair of Grizzlies, and this season’s Rookie of the Year, while the Second Team is heavy on centers.

A panel of 100 media members selected the All-Rookie teams, with players earning two points for a First Team vote and one point for a Second Team nod. The 10 players who made the cut, along with their corresponding point totals (Twitter link), are as follows:

First Team

Second Team

There are no real surprises on the First Team. Castle was the recipient of this season’s Rookie of the Year and was also the only player to be unanimously selected to the First Team, but fellow Rookie of the Year finalists Risacher and Wells weren’t far behind him. Edey and Sarr played significant roles for their respective teams and also finished in the top five in Rookie of the Year voting.

Among the members of the Second Team, Ware and Buzelis finished sixth and seventh in Rookie of the Year voting, while Missi, Clingan, and Carrington became starters for their respective teams in their first NBA seasons.

Carrington just narrowly edged out Jazz guard Isaiah Collier, who received one First Team vote and 50 Second Team votes for a total of 52 points. Carrington technically showed up on fewer overall ballots, but gained the slight edge because he was selected to the First Team by three voters (he was named to the Second Team by 47).

A total of 23 players showed up on at least one voter’s ballot, with Jazz forward/center Kyle Filipowski, Pistons forward Ron Holland, Lakers forward Dalton Knecht, and Suns wing Ryan Dunn rounding out the top 15 vote-getters — they, along with Collier, would’ve made up a hypothetical All-Rookie Third Team if the league recognized 15 players like it does for All-NBA.

All-Rookie is one of the few awards that doesn’t require players to meet the 65-game minimum and certain minutes-played thresholds. Risacher, Edey, Ware, Buzelis, and Clingan each would have been ineligible for consideration if that rule applied to All-Rookie voting.

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Wizards Notes: Kuzma, Middleton, Smart, Lottery

February 22nd, 2025 at 9:49pm CST by Arthur Hill

New Bucks forward Kyle Kuzma seemed to briefly lose track of which team he was playing for as he returned to Washington Friday night, according to Noah Trister of The Associated Press. Kuzma, who spent three and a half seasons with the Wizards before being traded at the deadline, congratulated one of his former teammates after a good defensive play.

“One time in the first quarter, it might have been Alex (Sarr), he might have blocked a shot. Bilal (Coulibaly) came over to dap him up,” Kuzma said. “Then I dapped up Bilal, just by instinct. It was weird.”

Any confusion from Kuzma was short-lived as he scored 19 points in Milwaukee’s 104-101 victory. His addition becomes even more important to the Bucks with Giannis Antetokounmpo playing limited minutes while recovering from a calf strain and Bobby Portis suspended for 25 games due to a violation of the NBA’s drug policy.

Kuzma said he enjoyed playing in Washington, calling it “a time of growth,” but he didn’t expect the rebuilding Wizards to keep him past the trade deadline.

“I think the writing was on the wall in a sense here. Not saying that was a good or a bad thing. I think everything in life really has an expiration date,” Kuzma said. “It was my time to go, beneficial to all parties involved.”

There’s more from Washington:

  • Khris Middleton narrowly missed out on a storybook ending against his former team when his last-second shot to force overtime bounced off the rim, writes Varun Shankar of The Washington Post. Coach Brian Keefe ran much of his late-game offense through the veteran forward, saying, “He’s a closer, has been for a very long time in this league. And we are going to take advantage of having him on our roster.”
  • Marcus Smart played 17 minutes off the bench Friday in his first game with the Wizards, per Brian Robb of MassLive. Smart, who was also acquired in a deadline deal, may have a limited role for the rest of the season as Washington concentrates on developing its young talent. Rookie guard Carlton Carrington told Josh Robbins of The Athletic that he welcomes being tutored by the former Defensive Player of the Year. “Myself and the Wizards want me to really solidify myself on the defensive end, and (with Marcus) that’s someone who has solidified himself on the defensive end since he walked in the league,” Carrington said. “He’s really good at it, really crafty at it. So I definitely, from day one, just want to pick his brain and just make my life easier on making other guys’ lives terrible.”
  • The Wizards will find out at the May 12 lottery if their rebuilding strategy pays off big, notes David Aldridge of The Athletic. Aldridge states that the team is relying heavily on lottery luck to land a top-three pick in the next two drafts and add at least one franchise-changing player.
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NBA Announces Player Pool For 2025 Rising Stars Event

January 28th, 2025 at 2:25pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA has officially revealed the 10 rookies, 11 sophomores, and seven G League players who have been selected to take part in the 2025 Rising Stars event at All-Star weekend in San Francisco next month.

The following players made the cut, as voted on by NBA assistant coaches (rookies and sophomores) and selected by the league office (G Leaguers):

Rookies

Sophomores

G League Players

* Note: Players marked with asterisks are on standard or two-way contracts with NBA teams.

As usual, the Rising Stars event will consist of four teams and three games. The seven G League players will comprise one team, while the other 21 players will be drafted to three squads on February 4.

The four teams will be split into two first-round matchups and the winners of those two games will face one another for the Rising Stars championship. The two semifinals will be played to a target score of 40 points, while the final will be played to a target score of 25 points.

All three contests will take place on Friday, February 14 as part of All-Star weekend’s opening night. The winning team will compete on Sunday in a similar four-team tournament, with the three other rosters made up of NBA All-Stars.

A handful of injury replacements will be necessary, with McCain, Lively, and Brandon Miller among the players who won’t be available to suit up. Additionally, since players selected as All-Stars won’t play in the Rising Stars event, Wembanyama will almost certainly need to be replaced.

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Wizards’ Kuzma Vows To Be More Aggressive, Less Inclined To ‘Fit In’

January 27th, 2025 at 7:47am CST by Luke Adams

Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma had his best game of 2024/25 on Saturday in Phoenix, registering season highs in points (30) and rebounds (11) as Washington outscored the Suns by four points during his 34 minutes of action.

After the game, he told reporters, including Josh Robbins of The Athletic and Varun Shankar of The Washington Post, that a change in mindset fueled his big night.

“I think today I just decided to be myself and not really just try to fit into everything that we’re doing here, and just really played in the moment,” Kuzma said.

Asked what he meant by playing “in the moment” and not trying to fit in, Kuzma continued, “I mean just not trying to fit into what we’re trying to do here. Just being more assertive, demanding the ball, not just going out there and trying to let people develop. Just playing my game.”

Kuzma is in the midst of arguably his worst season since he entered the NBA in 2017 — even after Saturday’s big night, his scoring average (14.6 points per game) is well below his career rate, and his shooting percentages of 42.3% on field goal tries and 28.0% on three-pointers are career lows. He has also battled injuries, appearing in just 27 of Washington’s 44 games so far.

Kuzma’s down year has coincided with an increased push from the Wizards to develop their young prospects, including second-year forward Bilal Coulibaly and rookies Alex Sarr, Carlton Carrington, and Kyshawn George. As a result, Kuzma has taken a step back in the offensive game plan, averaging just 13.7 field goal attempts per game, his lowest mark since arriving in D.C. On Saturday, he took 24 shots from the field.

“I think I’ve tried to fit in,” Kuzma said, per Robbins, when asked if he’s been “holding back” this season. “I think I’ve tried to help the young guys build confidence and do their thing. I think (Saturday) I was just really the most assertive I’ve been all year.”

Kuzma added that it “sometimes” feels as if being assertive and helping the Wizards’ young players develop are mutually exclusive goals.

“Only because there’s certain positions on the floor where we run plays,” he said. “Probably (in) past years, I might have been in those, you know?”

Increased usage for Kuzma could cut into the opportunities Washington’s youngsters are getting, but Robbins notes that those young Wizards still got their fair share of shot attempts on Saturday, with Coulibaly, Sarr, Carrington, and George combining to go 15-of-34. Shankar also points out that Kuzma taking on more offensive responsibilities could reduce the fatigue that the Wizards’ rookies are experiencing in the midst of their first 82-game season.

Of course, it’s also possible that balancing aggression with mentorship isn’t an issue Kuzma will have to deal with for much longer. He’s considered a candidate to be traded before next Thursday’s deadline — in that scenario, he’d likely end up on a playoff team not as concerned with player development. Still, he has two more years left on his contract after this season and his decline in production will reduce his appeal on the trade market, so the Wizards may choose to hang onto him for now.

According to Robbins, when asked on Saturday whether he intends to continue being aggressive going forward or resume trying to “fit in,” Kuzma considered the question for a moment, then replied, “Aggressive. Yeah, aggressive now.”

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