Monumental Basketball President Michael Winger is the ultimate basketball decision-maker for the Washington Wizards and Mystics. Since his hiring in May 2023 (and Greg Finberg has a one-year track record which you can read here), Winger is deconstructing both teams.
The Wizards are still in year three of a complete rebuild and are coming off their worst two-year stretch in franchise history. They are on track to have their worst three-year streak following the current 2025-26 NBA season. Wizards fans are frustrated by the loss, of course. But at the same time, I don’t see the same level of mockery from the national media at Washington’s expense as I did during John Wall’s early years, 2010-2013. I’m glad the national media isn’t ridiculing the Wizards. But in a year where the NBA launched a new media deal, the Wizards are effectively missing it because…they’re just not competitive right now, even if that’s intentional.
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For the Mystics, Winger let then-general manager Mike Thibault run the team without much interference during the 2023 and 2024 WNBA seasons. But ultimately, Winger let Thibault go to make his mark on the team. After a promising start to 2025, the Mystics traded their best veteran player, Brittney Sykes, and went on a 10-game losing streak to end the regular season. And what’s more, the Mystics have indicated that free agency is not their top priority for 2026, when the next collective bargaining agreement takes effect. In other words? The Mystics will use the Wizards’ plan.
So that leads me to a question: which team is furthest along in the rebuild? Wizards or mystics? I’m not sure. But here are the arguments why the Wizards are ahead:
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The Wizards have been deconstructing since May 2023, when Winger was hired. They were the model for Monumental Basketball.
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The Wizards have drafted several first-round picks over the past three seasons who appear to be part of a better team when they are further along in their careers. Bilal Coulibaly, Alex Sarr, Bub Carrington, Kyshawn George and Tre Johnson have all shown promise. They are just very young at the moment.
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Wizards general manager Will Dawkins knew Winger before coming to Washington. He was very good at making trades to maximize the Wizards’ goal of getting more draft picks.
But here’s why the Mystics could be further ahead:
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Winger only directly put his philosophy on them for one entire WNBA season. But Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen were both 2025 WNBA All-Stars, both named to the USA Basketball Women’s National Team training camp for the 2026 FIBA World Cup and are well respected by current WNBA stars and the national media.
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Citron and Iriafen seem like an obvious selling point for Winger and Mystics general manager Jamila Wideman as players to build around, and they’re also a selling point for WNBA free agents who may want to play in Washington next year. In other words, Citron and Iriafen are more definite building blocks for the Mystics than the Wizards’ younger players are.
So, I don’t intend to compare the teams here, but I will ask the question. Which team is further along in its rebuild? Wizards or mystics? Let us know in the comments below.
