{"id":39507,"date":"2025-07-05T01:14:15","date_gmt":"2025-07-05T01:14:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/39507\/"},"modified":"2025-07-05T01:14:15","modified_gmt":"2025-07-05T01:14:15","slug":"mailbag-will-the-washington-wizards-add-a-big-man-in-free-agency-or-via-trade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/39507\/","title":{"rendered":"Mailbag: Will the Washington Wizards add a big man in free agency or via trade?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Washington Wizards have been silent so far in free agency.<\/p>\n

Do team officials see a need to add another big man, and if so, how will they address that need?<\/p>\n

Will Anthony Gill join the team\u2019s front office?<\/p>\n

And what is the franchise\u2019s biggest need?<\/p>\n

Josh Robbins, The Athletic\u2019s beat writer covering the Wizards, answers those questions in the latest edition of his Wizards mailbag.<\/p>\n

Note: Submitted questions have been edited for clarity and length.<\/p>\n

Are the Wizards looking to trade for a big? \u2014 Merl<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

There is a clear shortage of bigs on the roster. Will the Wizards do the same thing as last year when they signed Jonas Valan\u010di\u016bnas as a stopgap\/mentor for the skinny young guys? \u2014 Bob<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

How do the Wizards get a big? Trade, free agents or G League? How much do they spend? \u2014 Johnaton<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Wizards are non-participants in free agency thus far. Are there viable targets to sign a big that can help next season? \u2014 Tyrone<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

We need a big banger to protect Sarr and let him play the four. Who fits that bill? \u2014 Rich<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

How are the Wizards gonna address their lack of a big man? \u2014 Anonymous<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Is the lack of rebounding on this year\u2019s team a tanking strategy or part of some broader philosophy? \u2014 Jesse<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

I see the redundancy of these questions. They focus on the Wizards\u2019 perceived lack of big-man depth. But I included all of them to demonstrate how much of a concern this issue is to the team\u2019s fans.<\/p>\n

I say this with all due respect: You\u2019ve all gone quite mad!<\/p>\n

You\u2019re not entirely wrong, folks. Washington finished last season 27th leaguewide in defensive-rebounding percentage<\/a>, and that occurred even though Valan\u010di\u016bnas, one of the league\u2019s most efficient defensive-rebounding bigs, appeared in 49 games and played 982 minutes before the team traded him at the deadline.<\/p>\n

So, yes, I agree that defensive rebounding likely will remain a severe weakness this season.<\/p>\n

This wasn\u2019t the time to chase the likes of Clint Capela, Al Horford, Kevon Looney or Mason Plumlee in free agency. It would have been a disaster to reach a deal with Deandre Ayton after his Trail Blazers buyout.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s talk about the big picture. As frustrating as it may be to hear, Washington has to \u2014 has to! \u2014 structure its roster to ensure it receives a top-eight pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. Because of a prior trade, the Wizards would send the New York Knicks that pick if it falls anywhere from ninth to 30th. I know it sounds repugnant, and I know it contradicts everyone\u2019s long-held notions of trying to win as many games as possible, but keeping that pick should be at the forefront of the Wizards officials\u2019 minds. Improving the defensive rebounding too greatly could put that pick at risk. Keeping that pick will require a delicate balance as is.<\/p>\n

I think a big-man rotation of Alex Sarr, Kelly Olynyk and Richaun Holmes can be competitive. Sarr ranked in the 37th percentile among NBA bigs in defensive-rebounding percentage as a rookie, according to Cleaning the Glass. That\u2019s below average, for sure, but not quite as dire as so many of you seem to think. Because he\u2019s only 20 years old, I think he should receive the opportunity to improve. I also believe some improvement in the season ahead is a reasonable expectation.<\/p>\n

Olynyk used to be a league-average defensive rebounder, but the stats show he is far below average now.<\/p>\n

I think you\u2019re sleeping on Holmes. He\u2019s a strong defensive rebounder, ranking in the 78th percentile among NBA bigs last season, per Cleaning the Glass. He also adds some of the grit the Wizards desperately need. He can provide the physicality you\u2019re looking for.<\/p>\n

Barring a trade of Holmes or Olynyk before the start of training camp, I do not envision the Wizards attempting to sign a free-agent big. Team officials didn\u2019t pursue one at the start of free agency, and that\u2019s not going to change.<\/p>\n

Ideally, a contending team ought to have the personnel to match up well against any kind of lineup, from a small-ball opponent to an opponent that starts two bigs. The Wizards\u2019 brain trust intends to become that kind of team eventually. But not now. It\u2019s still too early in the rebuild.<\/p>\n

I also think you\u2019re overestimating the value of bigs in some situations. From Feb. 24-March 15, the Wizards posted a 6-4 record. It was their best stretch of the season, and it included victories in Detroit and Denver. But over that 10-game stretch, coach Brian Keefe deployed starting lineups that consisted of one point guard, three wings and either Sarr or Holmes at center.<\/p>\n

The commonality is that the team did not open games with a traditional power forward. Those three wings were some combination of Bilal Coulibaly, Khris Middleton, Kyshawn George and Justin Champagnie.<\/p>\n

So, I think the Wizards can get by without adding to their cupboard of big men. Keep in mind that \u201cgetting by\u201d is relative to what the team\u2019s goals are, and those goals are modest.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Richaun Holmes arguably was one of the Wizards\u2019 most effective bigs last season \u2014 when he had the opportunity to play. (Rick Osentoski \/ Imagn Images)<\/p>\n

Some of the younger guys who opine about the Wizards say that general manager Will Dawkins missed the boat on bringing in a young big man either in the draft or free agency. I tend to disagree. So when the Wizards are not fielding a small-ball lineup (with Champagnie as the key rebounder), who gets the big-man minutes? Tristan Vukcevic? Olynyk? Are they keeping Holmes? (He has played well, in my opinion.) \u2014 Ken<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

What do you mean by \u201cyounger\u201d people? Are you saying that I\u2019m old?<\/p>\n

Other than that, I\u2019m with you on this one for all the reasons I\u2019ve already stated.<\/p>\n

But I\u2019ll add this: This was not the time to seek out positional balance in the draft. With the sixth pick, Washington drafted the player it ranked as the best player available, Tre Johnson. I agree with the strategy to take the best-available player. The Wizards need to add players who have the best chances of becoming upper-level players, not players who fill a positional need. Washington had Johnson ranked higher on its draft board than Khaman Maluach and Derik Queen.<\/p>\n

The \u201copiners\u201d are wrong.<\/p>\n

Any word on whether Anthony Gill is joining the front office? \u2014 Joe<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Some background first: The Wizards waived Gill on Sunday, which was the deadline for his 2025-26 salary of $2.5 million to become guaranteed.<\/p>\n

Gill, 32, is highly respected within the Wizards\u2019 front office and coaching staff.<\/p>\n

But no, he\u2019s not joining the front office.<\/p>\n

I expect the Wizards to re-sign him at a veteran\u2019s minimum salary and have him serve as their 15th man. Keep in mind that the 2025-26 veteran\u2019s minimum salary for a player with his service time will exceed the $2.5 million he was originally due to earn; in other words, if he re-signs for the veteran\u2019s minimum, he\u2019ll earn approximately $121,000 more than he would have earned if the Wizards hadn\u2019t waived him.<\/p>\n

By the way, when a team signs a player with three or more seasons of NBA experience to a minimum-salary contract, the league reimburses the team for the difference of that salary and the minimum salary for a player with two years of service. The Wizards will make out better with that reimbursement if they re-sign Gill than they would have made out if they had not waived him.<\/p>\n

Gill has played a critical role as a resource and as an example for the team\u2019s young players. It appears that a significant segment of Wizards fans would prefer to see the team use its final roster spot on a young player with more on-court potential. That is a valid point.<\/p>\n

That said, even with Middleton, CJ McCollum, Olynyk (and possibly Marcus Smart) on the roster, I think Washington would benefit from having Gill as a player.<\/p>\n

Could Gill serve as a mentor to players as a member of the front office? To a degree, yes. But he\u2019d be more effective as a player, in my opinion. There is a danger of having too young a roster, and re-signing Gill would guard against that.<\/p>\n

Plus, being the 15th man on a roster is not quite as easy as it may seem. It\u2019s a skill to be ready on a moment\u2019s notice, especially when you don\u2019t expect to play. Gill is not a league-average player, but his ability to play his best when called on is something that coaches value.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Anthony Gill has set a valuable example for other Wizards players to follow. (Vincent Carchietta \/ Imagn Images)<\/p>\n

What do you believe the team\u2019s greatest need long-term is? \u2014 DC Sports<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

I think the team\u2019s biggest need is a player \u2014 any player \u2014 who reasonably projects as a future All-Star instead of merely as an NBA starter.<\/p>\n

In this rebuild, Washington has drafted, or traded for, a group of intriguing young players, headed by Bub Carrington, Coulibaly, George, AJ Johnson, Tre Johnson and Sarr.<\/p>\n

I can make reasonable cases that any one of those guys at his best, and when fully developed, could become good enough to be a starter on a contending team. Developing into a solid starter on a contending team is a pretty good outcome, especially in the case of a player who was drafted 14th (Carrington), 23rd (AJ Johnson) or 24th (George); as draft-obsessed observers would say, those would be cases of Washington finding solid \u201cvalue.\u201d<\/p>\n

But do any of the players project as likely future All-Stars? The short answer: probably not, but it\u2019s much too early to know for sure. The players I\u2019ve mentioned range in age from 19 to 21 years old, and their NBA experience levels range from none (in Tre Johnson\u2019s case) to two seasons (in Coulibaly\u2019s case). It\u2019s incredibly difficult to predict how players this young and this inexperienced will develop. Sometimes youngsters make leaps that even the people who drafted them do not expect.<\/p>\n

Still, I say this all the time, and I stand by it: A potential danger for the Wizards\u2019 rebuild is that the team will wind up with \u201cmerely good\u201d young players but no one who truly drives winning.<\/p>\n

There would be avenues to overcome that scenario, such as a trade for an undervalued player or for a player who is redundant on his roster; an example would be how Indiana acquired Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield and Tristan Thompson from Sacramento a few years ago for Domantas Sabonis, Justin Holiday, Jeremy Lamb and a future second-round pick. Free agency would be another possibility; Houston, for instance, signed veteran free agents such as Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks and hired a top coach to complement its young nucleus.<\/p>\n

Still, for Washington or any other team that started a rebuild almost from scratch, the cleanest way to get a star is through the draft, because it would mean no players or draft picks would go out the door to acquire him.<\/p>\n

To the Wizards\u2019 credit, they haven\u2019t put all their hopes on winning the lottery and picking at the top of the draft. They\u2019ve attempted to trade for as many future first-round picks or young players as possible in the hope that at least one of those players \u2014 Carrington, George and AJ Johnson, for instance \u2014 emerges as a top-flight player.<\/p>\n

At this moment, I cannot point to anyone on the roster whom I confidently envision as a future All-Star. It\u2019s early yet, though. The young Wizards are welcome to prove me (and many personnel evaluators around the league) wrong.<\/p>\n

(Top photo of Alex Sarr and Wendell Carter Jr.: Reggie Hildred \/ Imagn Images)<\/p>\n