Although both veterans are not in the long-term plan, the Wizards still plan to keep them?

According to Washington Post reporter Varun Shankar, two veterans, Khris Middleton and CJ McCollum, are not in the long-term plans of the Washington Wizards. Middleton and McCollum are the only two players on the team who are over 26 years old and who will earn more than $14 million next season. Both players' contracts will expire next summer, giving the Wizards the flexibility to sign with other players on a maximum salary as they enter 2026. More importantly, the Wizards regard these two players as candidates for the noble character leaders a young team should have. While neither player is expected to be a part of the team’s long-term future, both are seen as positive influencers as Washington continues to rebuild. In other words, according to Shankar, these two players should play an important role before the contract expires.

Middleton joined the Wizards from the Milwaukee Bucks before the trading deadline last season. After joining the Wizards, Middleton made a total of 14 appearances, averaging 22.1 minutes per game, averaging 10.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.3 steals, 0.2 blocks, and 1.4 turnovers and 1.6 fouls. His shooting percentage was 41.3%, a three-point shooting percentage of 27.7%, and a free throw shooting percentage of 86.8%. Middleton's performance after joining the Wizards was not ideal. His offensive efficiency was a mess, and his contribution to the defensive end was not too high. His condition was a huge gap compared to his peak period. McCollum joined the Wizards from the New Orleans Pelicans in a deal this summer. In the NBA regular season last season, McCollum made a total of 56 appearances for the Pelicans, averaging 32.7 minutes per game, averaging 21.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.4 blocks. He also had 1.9 turnovers and 2.2 fouls. His shooting percentage was 44.4%, three-point shooting percentage was 37.3%, and his free throw shooting percentage was 71.7%.

Although Middleton's condition was not ideal and his condition declined significantly last season, McCollum's condition was actually quite good, and his performance last season was also worthy of recognition. Therefore, we don’t know how the Wizards will operate next. Obviously, McCollum is still a player with certain market value. He can also play some role on the court, and he should also attract the attention of some playoff-level teams. The Wizards obviously won’t have any expectations for their record next season. In this case, are they really not going to send McCollum away and get some future assets?