Fans of the Washington Wizards have had it tough in recent years, watching the squad relentlessly commit to playoff-hopefuls without any hope of serious contention. Where most front offices invest in young potential and draft capital, they watched numerous promising prospect classes come and go without any investment into their future.
They’ve since spotted the error in their ways in committing to arguably the NBA’s most thorough rebuild, spending the weeks leading up to the season by preparing DC for a third consecutive season of gradual team-building and talent acquisition.
Regular losses are punishing enough, relentless reminders that the days of winning are still a long ways away, but the fan base sustained a blow they’ll never forget just a few months that set their rebuild back even further. They had the chance to draft a no-doubt sure-thing in Cooper Flagg, Duke’s NCAA Player of the Year as one of the youngest and most versatile and hungry players in the college game, but their lopsided record still wasn’t enough to win the lottery-based draft order.
That honor went to the Dallas Mavericks, a team that had their own generational superstar worth building around in Luka Doncic before they decided to suddenly trade him mere months after he led the squad to the NBA Finals. They missed the playoffs without him, and lucked right into their next centerpiece in Flagg.
The Wizards didn’t walk away empty-handed, still getting their hands on a potential-franchise piece in Tre Johnson, but he isn’t that same level of oncoming star. And now, two games into their first season since missing out on the game-changer, they’ll have to travel to Dallas to meet him face-to-face.
Washington lost their own opener to the Milwaukee Bucks, looking very much like a team more focused on the future as opposed to winning games in the present in a 133-120 defeat, but the Mavericks, too, failed to start the season on the right foot. San Antonio Spurs star center gave Flagg an all-time quick “Welcome to the League” moment with 40 eye-popping points.
Oct 22, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) dunks past Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) during the second half at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
Unfortunately for the Wizards, they don’t have a Wembanyama to keep Flagg at bay for a second straight-game, having waited a year too long to get serious about tanking and missing out on the French phenom. He only managed 10 points on 4/13 shooting, and he’ll likely be much more comfortable against a team like the Wizards who lack the Spur’s imposing presence while rostering a lineup full of players who are similarly inexperienced.
Seeing Flagg in the Mavericks blues will be painful for the countless DC fans who got their hopes up on landing the rebuild star of their dreams, but Friday night’s matchup will be the first of many instances in which the Wizards will have to look their lottery misfortune in the eyes.
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