Wizards Guard Admits to Tanking Strategy

It seems Wizards guard Bub Carrington might not have gotten the memo about the unspoken rules of tanking—specifically, that one shouldn’t openly acknowledge it.

In a recent interview, the former first-round pick disclosed that the Wizards purposefully “held back” last season to improve their chances of securing the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. This strategy ultimately led them to select BYU forward AJ Dybantsa.

“I think we’ve all, in a way, been held back just because we were aiming to get AJ Dybantsa. That’s pretty well known,” Carrington, who went 14th overall in the 2024 draft from Pitt, shared with WUSA’s Marshall Kramsky. “But now, it feels like no one is restricted. Everyone’s free to play. That’s already a topic of conversation.”

He continued, adding that with the right coaching and experienced veterans, they’re a playoff-caliber team, and he believes that’s going to happen.

Last season, the Wizards recorded the worst record in the NBA at 17-65, which granted them a 14.0 percent chance at winning the draft lottery and a 40.1 percent chance of landing in the top three.

Dybantsa had quite an impressive freshman year, averaging 25.5 points and 6.8 rebounds per game at BYU.

During the previous season, the Wizards also made two notable trades for injured All-Stars Anthony Davis and Trae Young, yet they each had limited appearances—Young played just five games for Washington.

Interestingly, the NBA had imposed strict regulations last season and fined both the Jazz and the Pacers for suspected tanking violations. However, it was reported that Carrington and the Wizards are unlikely to face similar penalties this time around.

Both Davis, a ten-time All-Star, and Young, a four-time All-Star, appear to be healthy and are participating fully in the Wizards’ training camp.

Carrington has consistently played all 82 games over his first two seasons, averaging 10.7 points and 4.6 assists in 27.7 minutes per game during the 2025-26 season.