Washington Wizards

Washington Wizards

Entering the offseason, Beasley was expected to cash in on the open market after putting together a career-year in Detroit. The sharpshooting guard was one of the top candidates to win the Sixth Man of the Year award and was a huge reason for the Pistons' impressive regular season. Beasley averaged 16.3 points, while shooting 43% from field goal range and an extremely efficient 41.6% from beyond the arc.

Starting things off with the acquisition of CJ McCollum to serve as a veteran leader in the Wizards backcourt, it became clear early on that Washington would be aggressive this offseason. Soon after, general manager Will Dawkins assembled one of the most underrated draft classes of the offseason, headlined by the move to land arguably the most explosive scorer in the 2025 NBA Draft in Tre Johnson with the No. 6 overall pick.

The Washington Wizards have plenty of high upside players rounding out their roster heading into next season. Bilal Coulibaly is a former lottery pick, with the skillset to be one of the best two-way players in the league at some point. Alex Sarr is former No. 2 overall pick with the ceiling to be one of the most unique talents in the league.

Giddey put together an impressive season during his first year in Chicago, looking like a player the Oklahoma City Thunder hoped he could become when they selected him in the lottery a few years back. The Australian product proved to be a savvy passer, underrated scorer and a player that could simply boost an offensive system in more ways than one.

Between the free agency signing of Jonas Valanciunas, failed acquisition of Malcolm Brogdon and bold moves to land Khris Middldeton and Marcus Smart and the NBA trade deadline in February, Washington has had their fair share of veteran additions over the last couple of seasons. Despite that, they've yet to find the veteran addition that they feel could help them take the next step in their rebuild moving forward.

Not only did Washington acquire Brogdon, but they managed to land the draft pick to select Bub Carrington, who has plenty of potential on his own. However, the main reasoning the Wizards felt comfortable making the move for the Virginia product was the idea that he could be a veteran presence that could mentor the young group in Washington on the court last season. In theory, it seemed like a solid plan.

The Washington Wizards have made it clear over the last few seasons that providing a veteran prescence for their young team has become a priority. Last offseason, Washington took a swing on Malcolm Brogdon hoping that the former Sixth Man of the Year could be the mentor in the backcourt that could help the team's group of high-upside backcourt prospects develop.

When the team selected Bilal Coulibaly, the hope was that the oversized guard could use his unique skillset and size to develop into a star for the team. And while that's still a possibility, all indications are that the 6-foot-8 playmaker's ceiling is a dynamic two-way role player. Alex Sarr is another swing the Wizards hoped would pan out to be the cornerstone Washington desperately needed after being selected with the No. 2 overall pick in 2025.

Labissiere's signing by the Washington Wizards highlights the team's strategy of taking risks on players with potential, fitting well into their offseason plan.