The Washington Wizards have made it loud and clear, that they are rebuilding from the ground up. The roster is young, hungry, and mostly on rookie-scale or team-friendly deals. But two names stand out like sore thumbs: Khris Middleton and CJ McCollum. And the Wizards aren’t just stockpiling youth, they’re also collecting contracts. That’s why the presence of Middleton and McCollum isn’t just surprising, it’s telling. These aren’t cornerstone pieces, but placeholders.

The Wizards are not making splashy moves like Miami, who’s trying to reboot around internal growth. And unlike contending teams like Boston or Denver, Washington’s priorities are years away. The front office, led by Michael Winger and Will Dawkins, is taking the long view: accumulate assets, develop young talent, maintain financial flexibility. That philosophy explains why Middleton and McCollum were even brought in. Both arrived this summer on expiring deals, creating cap relief opportunities for 2026. Neither is expected to be here when the rebuild hits full stride. But for now, they serve as mentors, veteran presences in a locker room full of kids still trying to figure it out.

Khris Middleton and CJ McCollum are the only players on the Wizards’ roster who 33 years old or set to earn more than $14 million this season. Both are beyond their primes, and are now in a weird NBA limbo. Middleton came over in the Kyle Kuzma trade, a deal that was more about cap rules than basketball fit. Milwaukee needed to move a big contract to match Kuzma’s salary. And Middleton coming off multiple surgeries and a steep decline, fit the bill. He hasn’t played more than 60 games in a season since 2021-22 and missed the first 21 games of last season.

Meanwhile, McCollum was a secondary piece in the Jordan Poole deal, another trade driven by financial flexibility. The Pelicans wanted Poole, and Washington wanted McCollum’s expiring deal. So while the front office calls them “positive influences,” this isn’t about basketball, but about the books.

This leaves little room for older, expensive players like Middleton (age 33, picked up $33.3 million option for 2025-26) and McCollum (an expiring contract in 2025-26). Middleton and McCollum are expensive mentors brought in to stabilize a locker room, not win games. And once their contracts expire next summer, there’s little expectation they’ll be back.

Their future, remains uncertain. Best case, they find a contender willing to take a flier. Worst case, they ride out their final year in a tanking environment, far from meaningful basketball. Either way, Washington is not the final chapter.

Cam Whitmore demands change as Wizards rebuild

Cam Whitmore is making it clear that he’s not content with simply being part of a rebuilding team, he wants to be part of meaningful change in Washington. The 21-year-old forward, recently traded from the Houston Rockets, is approaching his new opportunity with purpose and urgency. Whitmore spoke to Brandon Robinson aka Scoop B about his desire to turn the Wizards into a team that fans can believe in again.

“I want to turn this whole organization around into a positive organization where fans will want to come to the games and fans will want to watch the Wizards play basketball, but first we gotta win.”

He’s not satisfied with moral victories or development seasons, he wants real wins. Setting a goal of 35 to 40 victories, Whitmore emphasized that the Eastern Conference is open enough for a young, hungry team like the Wizards to make a run at the Play-In Tournament.

“Really, my goal is to win 35 [at] least 40 games at the max…the Eastern Conference is up for grabs and anybody can kind of get in, but a Play-In [appearance] wouldn’t be too bad, either.”

His message wasn’t just about wins and losses, rather it was about culture. He wants the franchise to be something fans are proud of again. Whitmore’s energy stands in contrast to the transitional nature of veteran arrivals like Khris Middleton and CJ McCollum, showing that he’s here to build, not just fill a roster spot. That’s not the voice of someone content with another 20-win season.

Whitmore is stepping into this role with urgency. After being buried in Houston behind a logjam of talent, he’s now in a place that needs his energy, his defense, and his scoring. He grew up watching John Wall and Bradley Beal light it up at Capital One Arena. Now he wants to bring that same fire back.

The Wizards’ rebuild may be focused on the future, but Whitmore is demanding progress now. His mindset, win games, create excitement, build something fans care about is exactly the jolt this franchise needs. And it’s coming from someone who isn’t just here for a paycheck, he’s here because it means something to him.