Last Thursday, Monumental Basketball President Michael Winger gave a press conference in a “State of Monumental Basketball” address.
I’m sorry I wasn’t able to break this down in depth last Thursday. Like
most of you, I had to prepare for last weekend’s winter storm. If you missed it, the whole conference is below. A h/t to malsman for posting in “The Feed” about it.
The Wizards are finished “deconstructing.” The Mystics are still in it.
Over the last three years, the Wizards have experienced their worst stretch in franchise history. However, Winger, in his opening remarks, was explicit that the Wizards are finished with deconstructing after three seasons.
Considering that Washington recently acquired Trae Young, a multi-time All-Star point guard in his prime, that’s a sign that the losing stretches are coming to an end.
The Wizards will have to make decisions about which players stay and which ones go.
There has been a lot posted about the fact that Washington has a very young lineup. And last Saturday against the Hornets, they started the youngest lineup ever in NBA history.
Part of that is by design. But it also means that some younger players may or may not be part of the Wizards’ future. Alex Sarr, Kyshawn George, Tre Johnson, Bub Carrington and Bilal Coulibaly are among those who figure to be with the Wizards for their sophomore contracts. However, the Wizards’ two-way players including Tristan Vukcevic, Jamir Watkins and Sharife Cooper as well as other additions like Cam Whitmore and Will Riley, may not have the minutes to play on a rebuilding Wizards team — when it doesn’t appear that the Wizards will be rebuilding next year.
David Aldridge of The Athletic asked Winger some pointed questions about whether Young’s addition could mean that the Wizards have playoff expectations next year. Winger responded doing that he isn’t going to have set expectations. However, with Young, the current core and presumably a high 2026 draft pick.
Joshua Robbins of The Athletic also asked a question about whether the Wizards trading Deni Avdjia to the Portland Trail Blazers was a mistake. Coincidentally, the Wizards will play the Blazers tonight. Winger said no, in part because his trajectory and age was ahead of the Wizards’ current younger core of players. This could also be — in part — why Corey Kispert was traded to Atlanta along with with CJ McCollum for Young.
The Mystics are Sonia Citron’s and Kiki Irifaen’s franchise — at least by default.
Winger explained that the Mystics are in year one of their rebuild under his direct control. And by default, he acknowledged that every veteran in the WNBA is on an expiring contract given free agency this year will be hectic.
As I have noted many times over the past couple of years, this effectively means that EVERY WNBA team is deconstructing in 2026. We have no idea who will be on any of the 15 teams until opening day, except All-Star players on rookie contracts. Citron and Iriafen certainly qualify there. Same with Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever or Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings, among others.
No Mystics reporter asked any questions about playoff expectations in 2026. It’s quite frankly premature because of the pending free agency. But it is clear that at a minimum, Winger is looking forward to seeing how Washington’s 2026 draft picks mesh with Citron and Irifaen.
Winger did acknowledge a question by Kareem Copeland of The Washington Post about the Mystics’ arena size at CareFirst Arena and shared practice facility with the Wizards and whether that is a disadvantage for them. While he did toe the company line saying that CareFirst Arena does provide an intimate atmosphere for fans, Winger said that the Mystics will also be playing the majority of their games at Capital One Arena when current renovations are done. He also reiterated that the shared practice facility and the collegial atmosphere of Monumental Basketball (the Mystics, Wizards and the Capital Go-Go) are assets not hindrances.
Let us know what other things stood out from Winger’s conference in the comments below.
