Washington Wizards, Bilal Coulibaly Nearing Extension Deadline

When the Washington Wizards drafted Bilal Coulibaly back in 2023, they selected him with the hopes that he'd flourish into an elite two-way option for many years. 

Fast forward to 2026 and Coulibaly has failed to reach his full potential due to an uphill battle with injuries and offensive development. 

However, Coulibaly is entering a contract year and hopes within the front office remain high that he can finally breakout in year four.

With that being said, Coulibaly's future in Washington remains foggy, especially after drafting AJ Dybantsa and seeing positive development out of Kyshawn George and Will Riley on the wing. 

The 2026-27 NBA season is undeniably the biggest year for Coulibaly -- will he breakout and earn a second contract with Washington, or will he be another first round pick turned afterthought? 

Since entering the league in 2023, Coulibaly has made a name for himself solely because of his elite on and off ball defense. Washington GM Will Dawkins has praised Coulibaly's defense, saying he's a high-level, foundational perimeter defender. Throughout his three year NBA career, Coulibaly has averaged 1.2 steals per game and 0.8 blocks per game.

While Coulibaly's defense has been nothing short of impressive, his offensive game has struggled to develop in the NBA. He credited his work with a shooting specialist since midway through the 2025-26 regular season to smoothen his shooting touch ahead of year four.

In 178 career games, Coulibaly has averaged 10.8 PPG, 4.5 RPG and 2.6 APG on 42.6% FG and 31.3% from beyond the arc. Coulibaly's on ball shot creation has yet to develop, but his freak athleticism allows for him to attack the basket and score downhill.

Though only preseason, Monday's performance in the preseason win against the Brooklyn Nets emphasized what he preached this offseason: Coulibaly is capable of taking the next step offensively. The French wing was aggressive after checking in, knocking down a pair of threes in the first two minutes, before adding a third consecutive made three in the opening quarter. Coulibaly also turned defense into offense and became an integral part of what went right in game three.

By adding an elite playmaker like Trae Young last December, Coulibaly can operate more freely as an off ball cutter and use his athleticism to score around the basket. Additionally, Coulibaly has seemed to remove a hitch from his jump shot which should allow him to make a higher difficulty of three pointers. 

If Coulibaly can shoot 35% from three on a higher volume per game, Coulibaly can showcase that next step as an impact two-way piece. The question -- does it materialize into an extension?

Coulibaly's extension window officially closes on Oct. 19 with all eyes on whether the team announces a new deal the day prior, similar to recent years with Deni Avdija and Corey Kispert after inking four year contracts worth $55 million and $54 million with Washington prior to being traded. Does that set the framework for what ultimately unfolds in the next chapter of Coulibaly's career?