Monumental Basketball President Michael Winger is the ultimate basketball decision maker for the Washington Wizards and Mystics. Since he was hired in May 2023 (and Greg Finberg has a one year review that you can read here), Winger is in the middle of deconstructing both teams.
The Wizards are still in the third year of a complete rebuild and have come off their worst two-year stretch in franchise history. They are on track for their worst three year stretch after the current 2025-26 NBA season. Wizards fans are frustrated with the losing, sure. But at the same time, I don’t see the same degree of lampooning by the national media at Washington’s expense like during John Wall’s early years from 2010-13. I’m glad the national media isn’t lampooning the Wizards. But in a year where the NBA kicked off a new media deal, the Wizards are effectively absent from it because … they just aren’t competitive right now, even if it’s by design.
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For the Mystics, Winger let then-General Manager Mike Thibault run the team without getting too much in the way in the 2023 and 2024 WNBA seasons. But ultimately, Winger let Thibault go to make his mark on the team. After a promising start in 2025 however, the Mystics traded their best veteran player, Brittney Sykes and they went on a 10-game losing streak to end the regular season. And furthermore, the Mystics have indicated that free agency isn’t their top priority for 2026 when the next Collective Bargaining Agreement kicks in. In other words? The Mystics are going to use the Wizards’ blueprint.
So that leads me to a question: Which team is further ahead with a rebuild? The Wizards or the Mystics? I’m not sure. But here are arguments why the Wizards are ahead:
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The Wizards have been deconstructing since May 2023 when Winger was hired. They have been the blueprint for Monumental Basketball.
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The Wizards have drafted multiple first round picks in the last three seasons who figure 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 individual promise. They are just very young at the moment.
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Wizards General Manager Will Dawkins has known Winger before coming to Washington. He has been quite skilled at making trades to maximize the Wizards’ goal of getting more draft picks.
But here is why the Mystics could be further ahead:
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Winger has only directly put his philosophy on them for one whole WNBA season. But Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen were both WNBA All-Stars in 2025, 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 appear to be a clear selling point for Winger and Mystics General Manager Jamila Wideman as players to build around, and they are 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’ young players are.
So, I don’t intend to compare teams here, but I’ll ask the question. Which team is further ahead in its rebuild? The Wizards or Mystics? Let us know in the comments below.
