NBA Rebuilds that I love (Part 1)
These teams are rebuilding or have rebuilt in the right way.
Bilal Coulibaly, Bub Carrington, and Alex Sarr will carry the Wizards into the future (via washwizards Instagram)
Outside of winning a championship, the rebuilding phase is the hardest thing for an NBA franchise to do. Identifying the right young talent. Acquiring more draft picks and offloading veterans. Getting lucky in the lottery. And lots and lots…and lots of losing. Then even more losing after that. For a long time.
Finding a franchise player can speed up the process. Whether it’s drafting a three-time MVP during a Taco Bell commercial (Nikola Jokic), or trading an MVP candidate for a raw young player (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander), there are ways to make rebuilds fast.
But, it is unwise to take shortcuts. Just ask the Chicago Bulls how fun retooling instead of rebuilding has been for the last 10 years.
It’s easy to talk about contenders, but I wanted to highlight the teams who are on the upswing because of their rebuilds. In part one of this two-part series, I will highlight one East team that has one of the highest-upside cores in the league and assets galore and one tough and young West team that is ready to compete this season.
Washington Wizards
Key young players: Bilal Coulibaly, Alex Sarr, Tre Johnson, Bub Carrington
Key assets: 11 future firsts/swaps, 14 second round picks, $100 million in cap space in 2026
2025 draft selections: Tre Johnson, Will Riley, Jamir Watkins
There was a point in time when the Wizards were obsessed with being play-in warriors. Ever since they brought in Michael Winger in 2023, Washington has been rebuilding, but the arrow is pointing upwards instead of sideways.
Winger took advantage of Suns owner Mat Ishbia and his 2K-like mindset in his first major move. He turned Bradley Beal into four first round pick swaps Chris Paul, Bilal Coulibaly (SF), and six second round picks. He then transformed Paul into Jordan Poole, a second round pick, and a 2030 top-20 protected first round pick.
He also traded Deni Avdija for two first round picks, one of which became Bub Carrington. Washington has taken on veteran contracts incumbent teams unloaded such as Marcus Smart, Khris Middleton, and CJ McCollum. That not only netted them draft picks, but a group of experienced playoff performers to mentor their young core.
Speaking of their young core, Washington’s has some of the highest upside in the league. Coulibaly showed elite defensive chops and a growing offensive game that featured an improved handle, improved IQ, and improved rim scoring (70 percent on shots at the rim).
In his last month before getting hurt down the stretch, Coulibaly averaged 14/5/5 on 45% from the field and 35% from three-point range. His jumper needs work, but he has all the tools to develop into one of the best two-way wings in the NBA,
Sarr meanwhile had a rough rookie season, but showed flashes of his potential. Defensively, he showcased strong rim-protecting skills, averaging almost two blocks per game. He also contested seven two-pointers per game, which was sixth in the league.
Offensively, his efficiency is a work in progress, but he had a strong finish to the year (at least 15 points in nine of his last 20). This included his breakout game against the Nuggets and Nikola Jokic, where he scored 34 points and nailed five threes, to go along with six rebounds and five assists.
Coulibaly and Sarr are a strong foundation to build on. The Wizards know that and are complementing them with a dynamic backcourt.
Like Sarr, Carrington also had an up-and-down year, but he finished strong. In the month of April, he averaged about 18 PPG, five rebounds, and seven assists. He shot 39 percent from three during that span as well. Carrington’s overall shotmaking needs improvement, as his season-long jump shooting metrics aren’t pretty. It was encouraging to see him shoot 47 percent on mid-range shots though.
His playmaking and decision making are already huge positives, as he did a good job of taking care of the ball this season (1.7 turnovers per game). Carrington having this level of decision making as a rookie makes his case as Washington’s future PG even more secure.
Carrington’s fit next to the newly drafted Tre Johnson will be fun to watch. Johnson was one of the best scorers in the country as a freshman and his high-level shooting should translate to the next level. The Wizards were in need of a dynamic floor spacer to complete their young core. You can read my full analysis of Johnson from draft night here.
Washington has a bright future ahead. They have over $100 million in available cap room next summer and a front office that has nailed every move thus far. They could field a real winner on the court very soon.
Portland Trail Blazers
Key young players: Deni Avdija, Shaedon Sharpe, Scoot Henderson, Donovan Clingan, Toumani Camara
Key assets: Seven future firsts/swaps, 11 second round picks
2025 draft selections: Yang Hansen
Trading away Portland’s prodigal son Damian Lillard in 2023 signaled that the Blazers were ready to flip the page and rebuild. It’s actually hilarious because Lillard is the franchise player Portland drafted as part of their rebuild and then they traded him away to start another rebuild. It has only been two years since he was been traded, but the Blazers are ready to make some noise this season.
Portland was able to land Deni Avdija in a trade with the Wizards that only cost them Malcolm Brogdon and two future firsts (one of those firsts turning into Bub Carrington). Avdija was one of the most underrated forwards in the league last year. He averaged a career-high in points (16.9), rebounds (7.2), and assists (3.9), on efficient 48/37/78 shooting splits.
Post All-Star break, Avdija took his game to another level, averaging a near 23 point double-double and five assists on 51 percent shooting and 42 percent from three. He showcased that he can be a real building block for this Blazers team and is only owed about $39 million over the next three seasons.
In addition to Avdija, Portland was able to land Toumani Camara in the Jusuf Nurkic trade. Seriously though, Joe Cronin and Michael Winger need to take Mat Ishbia out for dinner or something. He’s helped both of their rebuilds.
Anyways, here is how I feel about Camara: I am starting up his fan club. Camara is one of my favorite young forwards in the league, and his potential rivals almost anyone’s.
Camara was one of the league’s best defenders this year, as he was named to the All-Defensive second team and led the league in charges drawn (31). He also showcased improved offense, averaging about 12 PPG and shooting a career-high 38 percent from three on almost five attempts per game. He and Avdija were a big reason why Portland finished third in defensive rating after the All-Star break (112.1 rating), which was better than the champion OKC Thunder.
The Blazers’ backcourt of Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe has more questions than their forward duo, but they have a lot of upside. Henderson’s offensive efficiency improved from year one to year two (38.5 percent shooting to 41.9 percent shooting this year) and his three-point shot is coming around (35 percent on five attempts).
He also brought his turnovers down from 3.4 to 2.7 and his fouls from 3.1 to 2.7. The game slowed down a little for the young guard and now with Jrue Holiday on the roster to provide mentorship, Henderson is primed for a year three leap.
As for Sharpe, not only is he a walking highlight because of his freakish athleticism, but he has improved a lot as a scorer. He averaged a career-high in PPG this season (18.5) and shot 46 percent on mid-range shots. He was also at 71 percent shooting at the rim, but he does need to continue to improve his three-point shooting (31.1 percent).
Portland’s outlook is bright and their young core is set. With Anfernee Simons now in Boston, DeAndre Ayton now in Los Angeles, and tank commander Jerami Grant’s role diminishing, Portland’s young guns will have a lot of run and fun this year. Expect even more improvement and development out of their core. The West is a bloodbath (when is it not?), but the Blazers aren’t an easy out.