Should an Extension Between Wizards, Bilal Coulibaly Materialize?

August 6 marked a date that many Washington Wizards fans had circled on their calendars given it marked the first opportunity for the front office to begin contract negotiations with Anthony Davis.

However, both sides decided it would be better to re-open contract negotiations after the season begins. While it gives Davis an opportunity to prove his health and reliability, the possibility of Davis being extended isn't more or less likely now. However, there's one player on Washington who will be playing for a new contract this season.

Bilal Coulibaly is entering his fourth and final year on his rookie deal with Washington, leaving speculation as to whether or not GM Will Dawkins will re-sign his first draft pick in office. 

Coulibaly was taken with the 7th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft by the Indiana Pacers, but was quickly traded to Washington on draft day. 

Coulibaly has never been the most polished player (especially on the offensive end), but he makes up for his offensive flaws by playing tremendous defense, as he's slowly become one of the better on-ball defenders in the NBA.

With tremendous size, speed, length and athleticism, Coulibaly can guard all five positions on the court and cause havoc. While he's quite the disrupter on defense, Coulibaly has yet to develop a consistent offensive game which has stunted his development. 

Coulibaly has averaged 10.8 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 2.6 APG with two steals+blocks per game on 42.6% FG% and a lackluster 31.3% from beyond the arc. 

While the stats don't jump off the screen, Coulibaly has put together some impressive games on the offensive end, giving some Washington fans hope that he can blossom into that two-way shooter that Washington so heavily desires. 

While Coulibaly has slowly improved each season, he's had trouble staying on the court as he's only played in 178 out of 246 games throughout his three year NBA career. 

However, after a strong finish to last season and a good offseason, Coulibaly looks poised to take that fourth year jump many of us expect, and I believe GM Will Dawkins will look to retain Coulibaly barring a rapid decline. 

At only 22 years-old, Coulibaly has endless room to grow on the offensive end, and by playing alongside elite playmaker Trae Young, Coulibaly could finally see linear development on the offensive end. 

Washington's front office will monitor the growth and development of Coulibaly as the season progresses, but I have a feeling that Dawkins and company would like to keep their first draft selection in D.C. for the foreseeable future.