Once he becomes eligible in April, should the Washington Wizards extend Bilal Coulibaly this offseason?
Should the Wizards re-sign Bilal Coulibaly this offseason?
At last, the regular season finale has arrived with the Washington Wizards set to travel to Cleveland to take on the Cavaliers for a 6 PM tipoff. With the league's worst record already clinched and a top five pick in the upcoming 2026 NBA Draft secured, the attention can now firmly shift to the offseason with the fanbase looking to turn the page from three consecutive sub-20 win seasons.
The dose of optimism around the franchise stems around the arrival of Trae Young and Anthony Davis, who add 14 combined All Star appearances to the roster, yet the emergence of several young pieces adds excitement for what's to come in 2026-27.
Alex Sarr made a strong case as one of the most improved players in the league, ending his sophomore season averaging two blocks while improving in every major statistical category despite playing just 0.1 minutes more from his rookie season. Kyshawn George flashed as a multi-level scorer while the emergence of both Will Riley and Tre Johnson adds fuel to what year two will look like, giving the Wizards a chance to add instant scoring to the rotation.
Washington also enters the offseason with a handful of free agents including Anthony Gill while offseason deals for Trae Young and possibly Anthony Davis could become the top storyline for Washington. But could general manager Will Dawkins and the front office pull the trigger on an extension with any of the young pieces? ESPN evaluated Bilal Coulibaly as enters the offseason as the candidate to watch given he's the first player who is extension eligible under the current front office.
"Per Cleaning the Glass, Coulibaly ranks in the 94th percentile among all wings in blocks and 84th percentile in steals," ESPN added.
And frankly, it might be the biggest roster question for the Wizards this offseason.
While Coulibaly saw a slight dip in points per game, averaging 0.6 fewer than 2024-25 with 11.7 points in year three, he also saw a slight improvement shooting from the field while improving his three point shooting.
Since the All Star break, Coulibaly sits third on the team in scoring with 14.6 points per game despite averaging just 25.4 minutes - the seventh most on the team. He's also shooting 45.6% from the field and 38.7% from three while averaging 4.2 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game.
The signs for an offseason extension to materialize were evident even as recently as last month.
Could this materialize into a question better suited for Dawkins and the Wizards to answer after the NBA Draft, or even next month's lottery? Which pick the Wizards land on and which prospects are within reach will determine which direction the front office will look to round out the roster as ESPN noted Washington needs roster flexibility given 14 players enter the offseason under contract for next season, excluding the three upcoming draft picks.
Yet whether Coulibaly emerges as a starter for the Wizards next season is the question with Kyshawn George a strong candidate to take back over at the three, while Will Riley has made a strong case for an expanded role. Justin Champagnie and Cam Whitmore, meanwhile, also remain under contract. Will Washington opt to pull the trigger in the first move to retain one of the young pieces long-term?