The Washington Wizards are set to enter the 2025-26 season still amid a rebuild as they try to return to being a contender in the Eastern Conference.
Of course, Washington finished with the second-worst record in the NBA last season behind the Utah Jazz as they missed the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season.
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While the Wizards are still stuck in a rebuild, they have created a solid young core led by Bilal Coulibaly, Alex Sarr and Bub Carrington, along with veteran forward Khris Middleton.
Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) shoots the ball as Washington Wizards guard Bilal Coulibaly (0) and Wizards forward Alexandre Sarr (20)Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Washington also made some key additions to their roster this offseason as they selected Tre Johnson and Will Riley in the 2025 draft, acquired CJ McCollum from the New Orleans Pelicans in the Jordan Poole trade and landed Cam Whitmore from the Houston Rockets.
With these moves, the Wizards will try to bounce back after a rough season last year as they try to make a run at a Play-In spot.
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Pistons Could Show Interest in CJ McCollum
While the Wizards are looking to turn things around, they could look to make some moves ahead of the trade deadline and one player who could be on the move is McCollum.
Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
If that is the case, there could be multiple teams that show interest in the veteran guard this season and one of those teams could be the Detroit Pistons as they could be intrigued by pairing McCollum next to Cade Cunningham.
Mock Trade Lands Wizards Jaden Ivey for CJ McCollum
In a potential trade, the Wizards could send McCollum, Marvin Bagley III and draft capital to the Pistons in exchange for Jaden Ivey and Caris LeVert.
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For the Wizards, adding Ivey would give them another young guard to build around who has shown flashes of being a key player over the last two seasons.
Detroit Pistons guard Jaden Ivey (23)Dale Young-Imagn Images
Last season, the former fifth overall pick averaged 17.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game while shooting 46.0% from the field and 40.9% from three over 30 games before he suffered a broken leg.
The 23-year-old guard is a great scorer and rebounder and he is also a solid playmaker and defender who would add another young player to Washington’s roster to build around.
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Despite this, the Pistons may be unwilling to include Ivey in a potential trade package for McCollum, which could cause them to decline this trade.
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Sep 24, 2025, where it first appeared in the NBA section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.