The Washington Wizards have remained at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings with a 2-18 record. In November, the team did not register a win to their record, which brought the attention of possibly blowing up the team.
Former NBA player Chandler Parsons believes Washington should transition into a full rebuild mode and trade the veteran assets the franchise has collected. Parsons cited players like Kyle Kuzma, Jonas Valanciunas and others as key players they could use to attract potential trade partners.
During Friday’s “Run It Back,” the analyst discussed dismantling Washington’s existing group and beginning to rebuild around its youthful possibilities.
“Kuzma’s a guy that teams will want, his contract is kinda friendly where he gets paid less the longer it goes on,” Parsons said. “I think there’s a team like Dallas, Sacramento, I think somewhere like that could really use Kuzma — the Clippers. [Jonas] Valanciunas, I think he’s a great fit for Oklahoma City, the Lakers. They do have pieces that I think other teams would want, I think they’re all touchable.”
“I think they’re all tradable, I think they’re all touchable. I think they could put a package together to take any which one of those guys. Even a guy like [Corey] Kispert… I do think they have assets to kinda move off. But this team — the future isn’t bright.”
Kyle Kuzma can fit anywhere, but some teams need him more than others pic.twitter.com/rSsl45UnF5
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) December 6, 2024
Competing clubs have been keeping an eye on Kuzma, including the Los Angeles Lakers, his previous squad. The 6-foot-10 forward has been monitored by the Sacramento Kings, Indiana Pacers, and Dallas Mavericks. Since the offseason, the Lakers have also been linked to Lithuanian center Valanciunas.
Wizards young forward recognized as one of the best players in the league
Despite the losing record of the Wizards, one bright spot for the team has been the second-year forward out of France, Bilal Coulibaly. The 6-foot-6 guard has improved significantly, averaging 11.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists. With what he’s done for the team, Coulibaly was recognized among the “25 Under 25” list of ESPN.
“Coulibaly was the other draft prospect alongside Victor Wembanyama two years ago in France, but Coulibaly’s combination of length and explosiveness made him the No. 7 pick in the 2023 draft by Washington,” Bontemps wrote. “After playing last season at 19 (and looking every bit his age), Coulibaly has made real strides on offense, including improving his field goal percentage from 43.5% to 48.2%. If he continues to develop in the same manner, he could easily make leaps up this list in future campaigns.”
Wizards G Bilal Coulibaly was ranked No. 25 on ESPN’s “25 under 25” list: pic.twitter.com/9b8q2iaw8b
— Greg Finberg (@GregFinberg) December 2, 2024
With his production on the floor, the Wizards have a bright future. Along with youngsters like Alex Sarr and Carlton Carrington, Coulibaly could lead the franchise from the ashes.
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen with Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
