Washington

Wizards

Dybantsa entered the 2025-26 season as one of the top prospects in this draft class, and his lone season at BYU did no harm to that status. The 6-foot-9 wing averaged 25.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.4 three-pointers last season, earning consensus first-team All-America honors. Dybantsa shot 51.0 percent from the field, 33.1 percent from three and 77.4 percent from the foul line. An excellent athlete who can score on all three levels and provide some playmaking, Dybantsa needs to become a more consistent three-point shooter. That said, he projects to be a franchise cornerstone for years to come. He’ll join a core in Washington that features young studs Alex Sarr, Tre Johnson and Kyshawn George, as well as veteran stars Trae Young and Anthony Davis. Dybantsa should start from day one and be a strong scoring option.

Young opted out of his $49 million player option last week, but he’ll get a bigger payday and long-term stability with Washington. His deal includes a player option in Year 4, but Young will be with the franchise through at least 2029. With so many talented options already around him and the top pick in the draft heading to the nation’s capital, Washington could move out of the cellar in which it’s been dwelling.

Acquired from the Mavericks as part of the Anthony Davis trade at the February deadline, Russell never suited up for the Wizards last season. And that was with Trae Young unavailable on most nights. Add in Bub Carrington being on the roster, and it’s highly unlikely that Russell plays for the Wizards next season. Regardless of where he lands, there is not much to gain from rostering D’Lo in fantasy leagues.

Reports surfaced on Wednesday that Young would opt out of the final year of his contract, which would’ve been worth $48.97 million. Assuming he makes that official next week, he will become an unrestricted free agent, but it doesn’t appear he will test the waters. Young seemed to be bought in on the Wizards after they traded for him in January, and he’ll affirm that when he signs a new deal. Washington is in a great spot after multiple miserable seasons; they have All-Star talents in Young and Anthony Davis, rising stars in Alex Sarr, Kyshawn George and Tre Johnson, and they also have the top pick in the draft next week. Young will have plenty of talent to facilitate the ball to.

Acquired from the Hawks in early January, Young appeared in five games for the Wizards before being shut down in mid-March. Had he opted into the final season of his contract, the point guard would have earned nearly $49 million. And this may not be a case in which Young is opting out to negotiate a deal with the Wizards that would give the team more cap space. According to the report, there’s a belief that “multiple teams” will show interest in signing Young. Washington is perceived to be the favorite to sign Young, but that isn’t guaranteed. The question is whether this will affect how the Wizards view the first overall pick in next week’s draft. BYU’s AJ Dybantsa is considered the favorite to go first, but Kansas’ Darryn Peterson has refused to work out for any team other than the Wizards.

According to Charania, Sarr sustained the injury late last week during an offseason workout, and he’s expected to be fully healthy for the start of training camp. He’ll look to build off of a career-best campaign in which he averaged 16.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 0.8 steals and 2.0 blocks across 27.2 minutes.

The Wizards will be followed by the Jazz, Grizzlies and Bulls in the top four of the draft order. Washington had a 14 percent chance of landing the first overall pick, which was tied with Indiana and Brooklyn for best odds under the current lottery system. AJ Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer and Darryn Petterson are among the top prospects in the 2026 NBA Draft.

Watkins saved his best for last, recording a season-high point total in the final game of his rookie campaign. He shot 5-of-9 from beyond the arc, with the five makes also a season high for the athletic forward. Watkins is on a two-way deal, so he faces a critical summer in terms of solidifying his place in the NBA.

While the final game of his rookie season was not particularly good, Riley played well more often than not over the last month. The 6-foot-8 wing scored in double figures in 11 of his last 12 games, providing seventh-round fantasy value during that stretch. The Wizards have a lot of young wings on their roster going into the offseason, making it challenging to project Riley’s value in redraft leagues next fall. Not to mention a likely high lottery pick in what’s projected to be a loaded draft. However, Riley is unquestionably worth holding onto in dynasty leagues.

Carrington finished his second NBA season on a positive note, totaling 50 points in the Wizards’ final two games. However, his category-league fantasy value remained low over the final month of the season, even with the increased playing time. With a healthy Trae Young in the mix, Carrington will compete for the backup point guard role in 2026-27. While he’s worth holding onto in dynasty leagues, redraft league managers are likely to leave Bub on the board in drafts next fall.