Apparently, no one told Wizards guard Bub Carrington that the first rule of tanking is to never admit to tanking.
The former first-round pick said in an interview this week that the Wizards intentionally “held back” the team last season in order to maximize their odds of landing the No.1 overall pick, which they ultimately used to grab BYU forward AJ Dybantsa.
“We’ve all, in a way, been held back just because, like you said, we were trying to get AJ Dybantsa. That’s no secret,” Carrington, the 14th overall pick in 2024 out of Pitt, told WUSA’s Marshall Kramsky. “But now, no one has handcuffs. Everyone’s shackles-free. So, that alone is already a conversation starter.
“But then you put that on top of the coaching, on top of the vets that we have. That’s a playoff team, and that’s gonna happen.”
The Wizards finished with the worst record in the NBA last season at 17-65, giving them a 14.0 percent chance to win the draft lottery and a 40.1 percent chance for a top-three selection.
The 6-foot-9 Dybantsa averaged 25.5 points and 6.8 rebounds per game as a freshman last year at BYU.
During last season, the Wizards made two significant trades for injured All-Stars Anthony Davis and Trae Young, but they combined for just five appearances (all by Young) for Washington.
The NBA implemented strict rules and fined both the Jazz and the Pacers for alleged tanking violations last season, but The Athletic reported that the league is “not expected” to penalize Carrington or the Wizards.
Davis, a 10-time All-Star and Young, a four-time selection, are currently healthy and participating without limitations during Wizards training camp.
Carrington has appeared in all 82 games in each of his first two seasons, averaging 10.7 points and 4.6 assists in 27.7 minutes per game in 2025-26.
