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Hours before the holiday weekend officially kicked off, the Washington Wizards addressed its most pressing need since the draft after acquiring the needed backup big man. And as the free agent market quickly developed, the Wizards did indeed turn to the trade market to fill the need.
For the first time in his basketball career, 7-footer Deandre Ayton will now head to the East Coast after being shipped from the Los Angeles Lakers while the Wizards sent Jaden Hardy and a pair of second round picks in 2031 and 2032.
While Ayton has become a polarizing player around the league as a starter for the Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers then Los Angeles Lakers, that won't be asked of him in Washington. It's entirely possible he materializes into the starter if Anthony Davis is unavailable for the Wizards on nights, but he largely offers the rim protection and rebounding that the organization was looking for. A good sign is Ayton played in all but ten regular season games before starting in all ten during the Lakers' playoff run as he averaged ten points and 9.6 rebounds.
The 2025-26 regular season marked the first time in Ayton's NBA career that he failed to average a double-double, instead ending the year averaging career lows with 12.5 points and eight rebounds. Yet in Washington, Ayton gives the frontcourt experience and another defensive anchor in the rotation. His offensive fit in the pick-and-roll gives Washington another who meshes with the backcourt.
The price is what makes this more appealing for Washington. While D'Angelo Russell still presents a roster question for the front office, the Wizards parted with Jaden Hardy and a pair of future picks, though for a team that still owns eight unprotected picks in the second round through 2030, it's a low price. Hardy proved to be a productive piece in the rotation to end the 2025-26 regular season, averaging 12.6 points on 44.3% shooting from the field and 42% from three point in just 20.4 minutes. Yet those minutes also came with the Wizards battling significant injuries along the roster, giving Hardy a chance to showcase himself after arriving as part of the Anthony Davis trade.
With Washington now likely turning to the backcourt to add another guard to a rotation that already features Trae Young and Bub Carrington alongside multiple others capable of playing the two like Tre Johnson, Kyshawn George, Will Riley and Bilal Coulibaly, Hardy would've been relegated to a role at the end of the rotation.
Considering the price and draft capital given up, partnering with the Los Angeles Lakers to add a center who became expendable following the acquisition of Walker Kessler filled the Wizards' top need - at a low price. Washington added roughly $2 million to its payroll for 2026-27 and still have roughly $11 million in luxury space for the final roster spot.
Grade: B+
Washington could now turn its attention to rounding out the backcourt after being linked to veteran guards Gabe Vincent and Russell Westbrook in the opening days of free agency.
Wizards Roundtable also offers a fan community. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Wizards. Create an account, click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our free community and follow for all of our coverage, analysis and more!
Continue reading...
For the first time in his basketball career, 7-footer Deandre Ayton will now head to the East Coast after being shipped from the Los Angeles Lakers while the Wizards sent Jaden Hardy and a pair of second round picks in 2031 and 2032.
While Ayton has become a polarizing player around the league as a starter for the Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers then Los Angeles Lakers, that won't be asked of him in Washington. It's entirely possible he materializes into the starter if Anthony Davis is unavailable for the Wizards on nights, but he largely offers the rim protection and rebounding that the organization was looking for. A good sign is Ayton played in all but ten regular season games before starting in all ten during the Lakers' playoff run as he averaged ten points and 9.6 rebounds.
The 2025-26 regular season marked the first time in Ayton's NBA career that he failed to average a double-double, instead ending the year averaging career lows with 12.5 points and eight rebounds. Yet in Washington, Ayton gives the frontcourt experience and another defensive anchor in the rotation. His offensive fit in the pick-and-roll gives Washington another who meshes with the backcourt.
The price is what makes this more appealing for Washington. While D'Angelo Russell still presents a roster question for the front office, the Wizards parted with Jaden Hardy and a pair of future picks, though for a team that still owns eight unprotected picks in the second round through 2030, it's a low price. Hardy proved to be a productive piece in the rotation to end the 2025-26 regular season, averaging 12.6 points on 44.3% shooting from the field and 42% from three point in just 20.4 minutes. Yet those minutes also came with the Wizards battling significant injuries along the roster, giving Hardy a chance to showcase himself after arriving as part of the Anthony Davis trade.
With Washington now likely turning to the backcourt to add another guard to a rotation that already features Trae Young and Bub Carrington alongside multiple others capable of playing the two like Tre Johnson, Kyshawn George, Will Riley and Bilal Coulibaly, Hardy would've been relegated to a role at the end of the rotation.
Considering the price and draft capital given up, partnering with the Los Angeles Lakers to add a center who became expendable following the acquisition of Walker Kessler filled the Wizards' top need - at a low price. Washington added roughly $2 million to its payroll for 2026-27 and still have roughly $11 million in luxury space for the final roster spot.
Grade: B+
Washington could now turn its attention to rounding out the backcourt after being linked to veteran guards Gabe Vincent and Russell Westbrook in the opening days of free agency.
Wizards Roundtable also offers a fan community. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Wizards. Create an account, click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our free community and follow for all of our coverage, analysis and more!
Continue reading...
