Bilal Coulibaly, Washington Wizards Fail to Reach Extension

Bilal Coulibaly will officially bet on himself in his fourth NBA season.

With the rookie contract extension deadline set for 6 PM ET on Monday, Oct. 16, Coulibaly was among the rookies who ultimately did not reach a new deal with the rotational wing piece set to play out the final year of his four year deal with the Washington Wizards. Coulibaly will now be able to enter restricted free agency next summer, giving the Wizards a chance to match any contract he receives.

Coulibaly also served as the team's first draft pick eligible to ink a new deal with the organization, marking the first of several questions for the Wizards' front office to answer in the years ahead. He also serves as the team's second-longest tenured player after veteran Anthony Gill, whose signing filled the final spot on the 2026-27 roster.

Coulibaly arrived in Washington as part of a draft night trade, sending the seventh overall pick to the Wizards in what proved to be the first pick during the rebuild phase under general manager Will Dawkins. He then started in 130 of his 178 appearances through his first three seasons with the organization. After averaging 8.4 points per game in 15 starts as a rookie, Coulibaly went on to average double figures scoring in each of the last two seasons. He averaged 12.3 points on 42.1% shooting from the field in 2024-25, only to follow it up with 11.7 points on 42.5% shooting in 2025-26. Yet Coulibaly also has yet to eclipse 35% shooting from three in any of his three seasons with the organization, evidence of the growth needed to show ahead of year four.

The 6-foot-8 French wing also pointed to his work with a shooting specialist dating back to the All Star break during the 2025-26 season that helped smoothen his shooting motion, which appeared to flash in his third preseason appearance in 2026 after finishing 3-of-5 from three in the home loss against the Brooklyn Nets. Through four preseason games, Coulibaly averaged 1.8 points and three rebounds in 19 minutes per game.

Still, Coulibaly has made his mark on the defensive end of the floor where he has comfortably earned the title as the team's top perimeter defender, a claim maybe no longer up for debate with Jamir Watkins expected to miss the bulk of the upcoming season after suffering a torn ACL in Summer League.

Coulibaly enters the 2026-27 season as an expected piece in the wing rotation after offseason debate centered around him, Kyshawn George and Tre Johnson as the team's fifth starter.