Despite already making a monumental deal nearly three weeks before the NBA trade deadline, the Washington Wizards face an extensive itinerary ahead.

After acquiring point guard Trae Young from the Atlanta Hawks for a productive veteran (CJ McCollum) and a valued role player (Corey Kispert), the Wizards ruled Young out through at least NBA All-Star weekend (Feb. 13-15) while he rehabs right knee and leg injuries that limited him to 10 games this season.

The Wizards (10-31) enter Monday’s game against the LA Clippers (18-23) with the Eastern Conference’s second-worst record and a top-8 protected pick. But the Wizards still hope to play Young at some point this season in hopes of establishing chemistry with their young players. The Wizards also hope to sell Young on a long-term future, considering he has a $49 million player option next season and is eligible for an extension.

Though the Wizards already acquired a four-time All-Star, they may become just as active leading into the Feb. 5 trade deadline.

Amid his busy schedule, Wizards General Manager Will Dawkins spoke recently with EssentiallySports about a number of topics facing the franchise. Of course, that involved the Young trade, his possible return, and his fit. But Dawkins also delved into the upcoming trade deadline, Alex Sarr’s growth and All-Star candidacy, how head coach Brian Keefe has managed the team, and his outlook on whether the Wizards can have a playoff-caliber roster next season.

Editor’s note: The following one-on-one conversation has been edited and condensed. 

Trae’s been with the group this past week. What’s that been like so far?

Dawson: “We’re happy to have Trae on the team. He brings a youthful energy that mixes with our young guys. He’s obviously been through battle-tested playoff games and things of that nature. So he’s here to kind of come in and bring experience. But I think seeing him around the young guys, you see his passion for the game is still there.”

“He’s (Trae) the guy that I first saw play in high school and in college. He still has that. So it’s fun to see him around our young group and bring that back a little bit.”

Any examples that jump out so far with that?

Dawson: “His competitiveness and shooting games, things of that nature. It’s just like the banter that you’ll have at a shoot-around. They’ve picked it up pretty naturally.”

So, it’s definite that he’s out until at least the All-Star break?

Dawson: “Yeah, I think right now we did some evaluation and tests. And it’s going to take him a few weeks to get him where he needs to be. So we decided to push it until the All-Star break. And then we’ll reevaluate him at that point.”

Is there still a possibility that he can play this season?

Dawson: “Yeah, we’d like to see him with our young guys. I think that’s important.”

What importance does that have for the big picture?

Dawson: “It’s important because Trae has a decision to make.”

“He’s got the power of choice as a free agent. So you want to make sure that he’s comfortable playing with the young guys, to have the opportunity to play with Alex and to play with Bilal [Coulibaly] and see when they move and how they fit positionally. We have a lot of questions on our team and how we play moving forward. So you want to see that before you make that decision in July.”

What are the questions that you hope there is clarity on?

Dawson: “How they gel, how they fit, and stylistically. Obviously, we have a lot of flexibility going into the summer. There are more financial players that we can add and trades that we can make. So you want to see how the team is functioning before you go into that period.”

You have a good young core here. What do you expect Trae can do for them, and what they can do for him?

Dawson: “I think our core of young players that we’ve drafted since we’ve been here for the past three years, those guys are serious basketball players. They’re competitors. They work. I think Trae is going to ignite them. But I think they’re going to ignite him as well. He’s not coming in here to take over.”

“He’s going into the group like he’s a piece of the puzzle, like he talked about [at his introductory press conference]. So I’m excited to just have guys that love to compete and get after it. I think the fit positionally, he’s kind of the lynchpin at that point with being the point guard to connect the dots a little bit. But I think they also fit with what they’re about and how they’re going to represent D.C.”

What do you hope the organization can show Trae that this is a long-term fit for him?

Dawson: “I think that we’re good partners. It’s important for every player who walks into the building as a Wizard that we’re going to let them know that we’re a first-class organization and are player-centric.”

“We put our players first and are about being good partners. So we’re here to get players better. We’re here to develop players and take care of their families. We’re going to continue that with him and any player that we have.”

Have you and his reps talked about any long-term commitment? Or is that something more for the offseason?

Dawson: “Yeah, we have good relationships with his reps. So we’ve had communication on what it would look like to be a Wizard because he really wanted to be here, and that was important to us. And we want to make sure everybody feels comfortable and builds that partnership and relationship until we have any real conversations.”

From my understanding, you were all encouraged about what Trae can be like as a leader, and that there are misconceptions about what his leadership was like in the past. How do you view that?

Dawson: “Anyone who walks in our door gets a blank slate and an opportunity to come in and be themselves. That’s what I explained to Trae: ‘I’ve seen you, Travis [Schlenk] has been around you. People know who you are, but you have to evolve. You are growing. You are different. But with us, it’s an opportunity to be unapologetically yourself. We want you to be you. But at the same time, we have a lot of guys who can lead on this team.’”

“I truly believe that the leader is a person who does the right thing at the right time. So he knows what to do. He’s going to have an opportunity to do that a lot. I think he appreciated that.”

The record is what it is. But how do you evaluate everything this season?

Dawson: “What we do is try to take everything in small bites and small increments. There are a lot of individual goals and developments. We have player development meetings. But as a team, we try to break it down every 10 games in key statistical categories, or key KPIs for us (key performance indicators) as a team.”

“We evaluate where we’re at the beginning of the year and then midway through the season. So, we’ve seen a lot of progress defensively. That is encouraging because offensively, that comes and goes. But defensively, we’ve been a lot better in areas that are important to us. That’s specifically activity, rebounding, attacking the paint, and protecting the rim. Alex is a huge part of that. That allows Kyshawn [George] and Bilal to use their length and their ability to guard. That’s growing.”

You mentioned Alex. Specifically, what are the strides that he’s shown on both sides of the ball?

Dawson: “He’s a talented basketball player. We knew he would be able to figure it out earlier on defense. He’s shown that just with his timing, his physicality, and the growth he made this summer. He’s protecting the paint. I would also say he’s living at the rim on both ends. He’s guarding the most shots at the rim, but he’s also blocking the most shots. He’s putting a fear on players.”

“At the same time, he’s more active. He’s changed his shot diet. He’s rolling. He’s at the rim. He’s comfortable finishing through contact with his left hand and right hand. He’s using more physicality to get to the free-throw line as well. The key areas that he focused on this summer that he put a lot of time in and stayed in DC, you see that coming through. We’re excited that the offense is catching up to the defense as well.”

Does he have a case for All-Star, even with the record being what it is? 

Dawson: “I think pretty close. When you put him statistically with most centers in the league, especially the centers in the East, if you put a blindfold on it and didn’t have the picture and the name, I think his stats would speak volumes. He would be really considerable.”

How about Bilal? What growth has he shown on both sides of the ball?

Dawson: “I think he gets the heaviest assignment every night. He’s proven that he can guard, whether it’s a power forward, a wing, or a point guard. He’s adaptable. And he knows, year three into the league, more tendencies of what he can take away. Physically, he’s gotten much stronger, too.”

“He’s up there in the league in terms of forcing guys to take more difficult shots against him than they do against other people. We’re more focused on the intent than the actual result. So he understands that and buys into that. He’s finally on a healthy streak. He was banged up a little bit. Now I think you can see the consistency on offense come along as well.”

When we’re talking about both of those players, how do you see them complementing Trae?

Dawson: “Very well, to be honest with you. Both of those guys have an opportunity to be high-level defenders individually, but within a team concept as well. They can have a huge impact individually with shutting their man down and making life difficult. But they’re also smart players who can read the game and can play in a defensive system as well.”

“I think their length, their size, their versatility, and their ability to switch is always a positive. They’re always getting bigger, getting better, and getting stronger. So you can imagine what they look like two, three, four, or five years from now in their prime. Then, offensively, they all have a high IQ and can make quick decisions, and can play with the ball. That’s what you want–multiple decision makers and guys that can play the right way. They’re built like that.”

With Tre [Johnson], you all drafted him at No. 6 for a reason. But what were your initial expectations on what he would show in his rookie season, and how has that played out so far?

Dawson: “Impressive. When he’s approaching 50-40-90 as a rookie, you probably didn’t expect that to happen, especially for someone who has been on a minutes restriction all season because he had an injury coming out of college and re-injured it during Summer League. So we’ve been very cautious. But his mindset is that of a pro already.”

“He came in with pro habits and pro tendencies with his work ethic. He’s really bought into being a team player and being more of a facilitator than he showed in Texas. So again, he’s drawing a crowd and making the right reads. He’s obviously very dynamic from deep. He can make a lot of different shots. So we’re very happy with his progress. But I think the second half of the season, post All-Star break, you’ll really see him take a big step as he gets more used to the speed of the game and with how people are guarding him.”

Is there any update on Cam [Whitmore’s] health and how he’s coming along?

Dawson: “Not an update at the time that we’d share. I think you’ll get something pretty shortly. But he’s definitely on his road to recovery. And we anticipate he’ll make a full recovery.”

How do you view his season and his ups and downs?

Dawson: “I’m proud of the way Cam handled the latter part of his season so far to this point. He was coming into a new situation that didn’t really go his way right away. He had a real good sit-down with Brian Keefe to learn about all of the things that he wanted to improve on. He’s been much better in practice and was going to get his time here pretty soon.”

“I believe in a higher power, and I believe that they sat him down on purpose. Because he didn’t know that he was dealing with this issue, and he found it while he was out of the rotation. It all happened for a reason. But again, his mindset, he’s been around the guys still. I’m happy with Cam. He’s going to have a big summer to be the player we know he can be once he’s healthy.”

Are you able to expound on what the issue was and what came out of the discussion?

Dawson: “With Brian?”

Yeah.

Dawson: “He basically sat him down and asked him what type of player he wants to be known as and what type of career he wants to have, and who those types of players are. So let’s work on the habits that those players have and basically emulate how they’re playing. I think he bought in, and I’m looking forward toward getting him healthy and back on the floor.”

What’s jumped out to you on what he’s shown since then?

Dawson: “Toughness, work ethic, connectivity, and two-way play. He’s obviously a physical beast. There are not many players like him. But he’s got the IQ, acumen, and skill-set to do what he needs him to do in a team game. So I’m excited to get him back.”

What’s been the collaboration been like with Brian? You mentioned the sitdown. But what about how he’s developing talent and the feedback he’s given you?

Dawson: “Yeah, Coach Keefe and I go really far back when I first entered the league in Seattle in 2007. Coach was trying to figure it out back then. I couldn’t ask for a better partner in terms of where we’re at with our team and in terms of the way he thinks with development and staff that he brought in. He’s very player-centric and player-focused and gives these guys opportunities.”

“There is a strong connection between Coach [Cody] Toppert with the Go-Go [Wizards’ G League team] and what our guys are working on there. And then when they’re called back up to the Wizards, they get their opportunities to play here. So he’s connected. He’s in the meetings. We’re all rowing in the right direction, and a lot of that has to do with him.”

He has quite an extensive pedigree as far….

 Dawson: (laughs) “The resume is strong.”

Yes, the resume is strong, and he’s worked with a lot of different players, including [Kevin] Durant and [Brandon] Ingram. Given that background, what impact has that had on the group?

Dawson: “He’s had multiple time All-Stars and will be a guy that is responsible for different Hall-of-Famers. He’s been in different cities and different organizations, and has a different array of knowledge that he can use. We like that part.”

“When he speaks to a Trae Young for the first time, he can mention, ‘I remember you working out with Russell [Westbrook] when you were a young kid.’ When he speaks to Tre [Johnson], and he says his favorite player was Kevin Durant, and that’s why he went to Texas, he can relate to him. He can tell him, ‘These are the habits that Kevin had. These are the things we worked on at the same age. These are some of the multi-skilled things we worked on.’”

“He’s a basketball junkie. He’s been around a lot of great coaches and a lot of great players. And he’s evolved. He’s evolving as a head coach. I think you come in with a player development background that he’s had, and you can advise guys. He can spend a summer visiting Alex and really investing in him, going to his hometown, and learning about his family. He’s getting the guys to understand. He understands the guys on a humanistic level and on a coaching level as well.”

When CJ [McCollum] was here and Khris [Middleton] still being here, what impact did their veteran experience make?

Dawson: “We’ve been very fortunate to layer the team that is now the youngest team in the NBA. We have guys who have played and have been the youngest in the league with high-level veterans who have been there, and also want to speak up. They let him stumble and figure it out and not tell them what to do, but how to do it.”

“CJ was one of those guys who is the best in the league in leading with his actions. With Khris being a champion and an Olympian, he speaks volumes when he walks in. He knows when to speak up. Both of those guys can carry us during long stretches of basketball games.”

Let’s look at the big picture. You obviously have to get through the season. But as constructed, do you view this team as a playoff team next season?

Dawson: “Next season, I wouldn’t put the ‘playoff’ word out there. We want to get incrementally better every day. I think if we keep up with the work that the guys have put in and continue to develop as players, they’ll rise to the occasion when they’re ready. I know we have a competitive group. So they’ll want to do that sooner rather than later.”

“We won’t hold them back. We’ll let them compete and get after it. But I don’t think we’re at the point where we’re ready to push the button, rev the engine, and say it’s a ‘full go.’ We’ll let these young guys develop on their own time. That’s what I’ve done in my past. That’s what Michael [Winger] has done in his past. We’ll continue along that route.”

So there’s obviously still work to be done. You all made a huge trade already. But philosophically leading into the trade deadline, what are your expectations on how active you will be?

Dawson: “I think league-wide, the rules are changing. Teams are having to make decisions a little faster than they had to make them. For us, since we’ve been here, we’ve tried to keep as much flexibility as possible and keep our optionality available. We’ve been holding out on good assets and players.”

“I think we’ll continue to do that. Doing the trade that we did early didn’t change too much financially with our ability to do what we need to do. So we’ll continue to take opportunities and continue to be flexible and make good deals for both teams. So I think we’ll stay active and be ready to have conversations.”

And this summer, it’s considered a pretty robust draft. What do you expect whoever is available there will impact your group?

Dawson: “We have a lot more work to do on the draft. We have to figure that out. I know it’s a talented and deep draft. We have a lot of positional optionality at the top of the draft that I think will fit pretty well with our team. We want to add another player and continue to progress at our own pace.”

What was key for you, Travis and Michael, to be able to pull off various deals since the Bradley [Beal] trade [in the 2023 offseason]?

Dawson: “When we get in a room and have the level of experience that we have with years of people being in the NBA, we can rely on them to really brainstorm and really throw any wild idea that we might have and talk it through and think in deeper layers. You really have an opportunity to build something. That’s the type of environment that Michael has built. I wouldn’t say we made a series of setup moves to get to the Trae Young move.”

“We made a series of decisions that allowed us to have more optionality to pounce when you have an opportunity to make them. We don’t know what it’s going to be. But giving yourself that flexibility to be opportunistic is something that we are going to continue to do. We feel like we’ve done that in doing this move in adding a four-time All-Star.”

So if I understand correctly, it’s not about anyone being clairvoyant. It’s about each move addressing not just short-term, but setting you up long-term for whenever the next opportunity is.

Dawson: “Chipping away. I think that’s the best way to do it. Move a boulder a little piece at a time. That’s kind of the mindset in our scouting. That’s kind of the mindset with player development. And it’s the same with strategy. We can’t solve our problem right away, and we’ll just continue to chip away at it and make the most informed decisions that we have, knowing that we want to build toward sustained success and we’re not going to do anything that gets in the way of that.”

You mentioned something interesting about the organization being ‘players-first’ and doing different things with that. What makes you unique as an organization with that?

Dawson: “I think probably the players can answer that one better than me. I just know when Michael and I first got here, we talked to Mr. [Ted] Leonsis [Wizards owner] about what we want to be known for, and we said that being a player-centric place is important. During our rebuild that we’re still in right now, developing our reputation for what we are and what we’re about, and establishing the DC logo when people see it, was important to us.”

“That started with putting players first and player care: whether that was adding multiple bodies to make sure they have their own individual time on a [training] table, or whether it was hiring personal chefs to travel with us on the road and making sure we improve the family room and the family dynamic. Or hiring mental support groups for families and staff.”

“There’s just a lot of stuff that we were building into the environment so that once we were able to get toward that sustained success, we don’t have to do it afterwards. So we didn’t skip steps on that and were intentional on building an environment where we thought our players can thrive and have the resources they need to do their best work and the same for staff. We’ll continue to do that.”

In the spirit of capturing this season and what you’re all doing, do you think there is anything important to add that we haven’t already discussed? 

Dawson: “We’ll continue to be day by day. What we want to do is be in a repeatable environment, whether you win five in a row or lose five in a row, we’re coming in the next day with the right mindset with how to improve and how to get better. I think some teams call it ‘0-0.’ That’s a mindset that you have to have. Our guys have that. They know where they’re at.”

“I think at the end of this year, we want to be a little further ahead individually as well as a team. Hopefully, in the second part of the season, we can get our young guys a little bit more experience and more minutes so their experience level coming into the summer and next season allows us to take a jump collectively.”

Mark Medina is an NBA insider for EssentiallySports. Follow him on X, Blue Sky, Instagram, Facebook, and Threads.