The year 2025 is coming to a close in less than a week. And yesterday’s Washington Wizards win got me thinking for a second because they beat the Toronto Raptors soundly, 138-117 with Kyshawn George having a big night.
Back on Jan. 1, 2025, the Washington Wizards hosted the Chicago Bulls and won, 125-107. It was one of the few complete wins that season with Jordan Poole leading Washington to a 30 point performance while six more players scored in double figures.
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Forget about the fact that the Wizards won on both Jan. 1 and yesterday, Dec. 26. Think more about who the Wizards’ centerpiece players were then, and now. For reference, check the box score from the Bulls game back on Jan. 1 here and the Raptors game from yesterday here.
It’s the roster turnover.
Yes, there are some players who were in both games. Folks like George, Bilal Coulibaly, Justin Champagnie, Alexandre Sarr, Carlton Carrington, Tristan Vukcevic, etc. Yeah, the box score from the 2024-25 season showed Alex Sarr and Bub Carrington by their full names, so I wrote that for … rhetorical effect.
But many of the veterans of the Wizards team that played on New Year’s Day are now elsewhere. Poole now plays for the New Orleans Pelicans after getting traded for CJ McCollum last June who is now on the Wizards. Jonas Valanciunas was traded at the deadline back in February 2025 which feels like a century ago. Kyle Kuzma was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks for Khris Middleton.
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When we look at the Wizards roster in December 2026, I wouldn’t be surprised if the roster makes many changes again.
Do you agree that roster turnover is one of the Wizards’ big themes of 2025? Let us know in the comments below.