WASHINGTON — Washington Wizards general manager Will Dawkins called the 2026-27 campaign a “season of growth” when he met with the media on Thursday.
Dawkins said that while the Wizards want to increase moments of competitive basketball, player development remains the No. 1 goal.
“We want to take meaningful strides as an organization towards building towards sustained success,” Dawkins said. “It definitely won’t be linear … But we’ll chip away as we’ve done in previous seasons … We just want our team
to have expectations of being more competitive.”
Alex Sarr expected back by opener
Alex Sarr, who in June underwent surgery to repair a fractured left foot, is expected to return for Washington’s season opener against the Milwaukee Bucks on Oct. 21.
“We expect [Alex] to be a partial participant at the start of camp. He’s progressing really, really well. And I anticipate that he’ll be able to play opening night.
Dawkins lauded Sarr’s maturity and discipline during his recovery process, which continues to progress as training camp nears.
Sarr blossomed in his second NBA season, averaging 16.3 points and 7.4 rebounds while shooting 48.2% from the field — an 8.8% improvement from the season before. He defended the most rim attempts per game (9.7) while blocking two shots per contest.
“The paint is going to be a tough place for people to score on us,” Dawkins said. “Alex was second in the blocks last year, and that’s without having Anthony Davis and DeAndre Ayton.”
Dawkins said Jamir Watkins, who in July underwent surgery to repair a torn ACL, is out a “significant amount of time.”
Anthony Davis ‘motivated’ to start season
On August 6 — the same day Davis became eligible to sign a four-year, $285 million max extension with the Wizards — The Athletic’s Joshua Robbins reported the sides had agreed to wait until the season to have extension talks.
Dawkins, as he does with all players, declined Thursday to discuss the team’s ongoing negotiations with Davis. But he said Davis is ready to start the season when Washington opens against Milwaukee.
“AD is in a great frame of mind,” Dawkins said. “He’s focused and ready to start the season. I would say he’s very much a motivated player right now, and I expect that he will remind the basketball world who he really is.”
Tempered expectations
After a 50-196 record across three rebuilding seasons, Wizards fans have lofty expectations entering the 2026-27 season. But the Wizards—players, coaches, and front office members alike—have declined to set expectations for the upcoming campaign.
While it’s certainly not another chapter in the “deconstruction phase,” Dawkins declined to place a threshold on Washington’s ceiling or floor this year.
“I won’t really put a number on our season or our wins. I won’t put a cap on our potential for our team,” Dawkins said. “The East has gotten better. I think there’s a lot of teams competing and trying to win, which we are doing.”
Dawkins said he feels “comfortable” with his team’s growth entering his fourth year in charge. He said the team has several “carry-forward” players that will take the team into the next phase of the rebuild, and now it’s about continuing that development in more competitive environments.
“[This season is] about taking that proper growth so that we can continue to move toward the same success,” Dawkins said. “We’re still at the the infancy of building. I think we just added a really really important pillar to that build in AJ [Dybantsa] … We feel like we have a lot of other carry-forward players in the building right now, and we’re excited to see that all come together.”
Confidence in Keefe
Brian Keefe inherited a near-impossible situation when he was named Washington’s interim head coach in January 2024 before his promotion to full-time duties five months later.
The 50-year-old head coach navigated the Wizards through a tough rebuild, spearheading key player development strides with Sarr, Kyshawn George and more. But his .212 winning percentage — a 43-160 record — is the worst among active head coaches across that span.
On Thursday, Dawkins reiterated his confidence in Keefe and his ability to lead Washington into more competitive basketball.
“I have a lot of confidence in Brian Keefe,” Dawkins said. “Full confidence in him to develop the roster and continue to take us into the next phase of Wizards basketball.”
Dawkins noted the offseason hires of Steve Clifford and Patrick Ewing as experienced coaches that will bolster Keefe’s staff. Clifford was hired as an advisor. Ewing joined as an assistant.
“I have to commend [Keefe] for the summer he had internally … [Clifford] has a wealth of knowledge and experience. [He] will be someone really good, not only in Brian’s ear, but helping develop our coaching staff. Bringing in someone like Patrick Ewing, who knows the city, who knows being a No. 1 pick, who knows the pressures of trying to win at a high level, a Hall of Famer, a top 75 player — that experience is really important to us.”
