Wow… What a 10 game stretch it has been for the Wizards. Record Wise, the Wizards have improved upon their 2-8 start. They ended the stretch with a rivetting OT win against the Rockets tonight. However, along with this on-court progress has come behind the scenes drama. Surprisingly, none of these basketball related issues have involved Dwight Howard who has produced when on the court but cannot shake this glute injury. The team quickly turned around a rough start with a 3-game win streak punctuated by blowing out the Cleveland Cavaliers from start to finish. This temporary high ended with a demoralizing loss to a Caris Levert-less Brooklyn Nets team at home. That loss was followed by a beat down at home by the Portland Trailblazers which set a few things into motion:
1)Heated practice with verbal altercations
2)Adrian Wojnarowski report
3) Changes in the lineup resulting in progress
1)Heated practice with verbal altercations
In the practice following the beat down the Wizards took by the Blazers in which they found themselves down by 20 during the first quarter, the Wizards had a very “Volatile practice” per Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic. The practice involved verbal altercations amongst players and Wall cursing out Coach Brooks. Wall was ultimately fined by the team for his actions in practice. Beal reportedly told management after this practice that he has “been dealing with this for 7 years”. It is never a good sign when you’re star point guard is cursing out your coach, or your all-star shooting guard is showing signs of exhaustion towards the climate of the team. Apparently, practices like this have not become abnormal over the years for the Wizards, but the fact that it was so much in the public eye this time will definitely put more stress on the situation. It will have everyone tuning in to watch what feels like an implosion waiting to happen.
Personally, I am not sold that there is an impending implosion. The Wizards may not have the same exact roster in a few weeks, but I do not see this team imploding on itself and ending in turmoil. These guys will continue to play hard with each other until a trade forces otherwise. This team is full of huge competitors: Wall, Beal, Rivers, and Morris most notably. They will butt heads sometimes, but they will work through it as a group. They are all professionals.
2) The Report + Trade ideas
As the report about the practice was coming out, Adrian Wojnarowski also reported that the Wizards have signaled to other front offices that they are willing to trade everyone and anyone on this roster. Yes, that includes all-star guards Wall and Beal. I want to precede what I’m about to say by stating: I love this team so much. I go to most of, if not every, home playoff game each year. I was at all 3 home playoff games against the Celtics the year Wall hit the game winner to force a game 7. The passion that this team played with for the city when it came playoff time made me proud to be a fan, and a local resident. With that said, I do like that the Wizards are open to trading all 3 of their max contract players but especially Wall and Beal.
I am not suggesting this because I want the Wizards to go back to the mediocre days, but because I think this core has hit its ceiling in a young conference that is only going to continue to improve. Wall’s max extension that kicks in next year is incredibly large and will only tie this organization’s hands behind their backs for the next 4 years. This team must look to trade him this year while he only makes $19 million. Beal possesses the most trade value on the team, so he must be involved in trade discussions. He is a great shooter, scorer, ball handler, and on ball defender with a reasonably priced max contract at $25 million a year. The team’s other max contract in Porter is one that many would like to see moved. However, Porter is very skilled and versatile. Granted, he may be slightly overpaid, but the Wizards also do not give him the ball enough. This does not allow him to prove his worth.
There have been reports of the Pelicans being interested in Porter. Also, the Hornets and Lakers have been linked to Beal. The Pelicans desperately need wing depth and see exactly that in Porter who just recently scored 29 points against them on 12/15 shooting a few nights ago. However, as I stated previously, I am not quite ready to give up Porter. I believe the Wizards should be more focused on moving Wall (huge contract) and Beal (huge trade value). I do not see any Porter deal getting done unless at least 3 teams are involved. The Hornets could use a star SG to play alongside a shining PG in Kemba Walker, and Beal could also be a great fit alongside Lebron in LA. However, many teams along with the Hornets and Lakers will have interest in Beal.
For Wall on the other hand, I believe there are only two teams that would seriously consider a trade for him: The Suns and the Heat. The Heat are desperate for any injection of excitement, and the Suns have a front office that may strongly believe giving Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton an all-star point guard would push them in to the playoffs.
I aspire to be an NBA GM in the future, so I decided to work out possible trade proposals for both Wall and Beal…
Lakers get: Bradley Beal & 2019 second round pick
Wizards get: KCP, Ivac Zubac, Kyle Kuzma, and Brandon Ingram
Although this deal works money and talent wise, the Lakers may not want to give up 4 players for 1. Either way, it would be a good place to start in negotiations.
Suns get: John Wall, Jeff Green (OR Kelly Oubre instead of Green)
Wizards get: TJ Warren, Dragan Bender, Elie Okobo, and 2019 first round pick
I believe this Suns trade is the more likely of the two to be completed at face value. Overall, these trades would move big contracts, give the Wizards talented, young players, draft picks, and quickly expiring contracts to free up cap space. It is hard for me to know exactly what other teams would take or want for sure because I cannot contact them myself. Still, from my position, I would encourage the Wizards to consider these proposals as well as listen openly to possible offers from teams like the Hornets and Heat.
3)Changes in line up and Rotation
After the Reports of the heated practice and openness to trades, Scott Brooks shook up the lineup. The starting 5 has recently been:
1. John Wall
2.Bradley Beal
3.Kelly Oubre
4.Otto Porter
5.Thomas Bryant
Thomas Satoransky receives way more minutes off the bench now averaging almost 5 more minutes per game. Thomas Bryant has been inserted in the starting lineup to replace the injured Dwight Howard, and Kelly Oubre has replaced Markieff Morris in the starting lineup. Otto Porter has been moved to the 4 spot while Kelly Oubre is playing the 3. Also, the minutes of Ian Mahinmi and Jason Smith have completely disappeared.
Along with these new lineup changes, Brooks has stated that “the more we pass the better we’re off”. This aligns directly with my last post where I repeatedly stated that this team needs to move the ball more. Wall had previously been overdribbling and forcing shots. With these new changes, Wall has been passing more, shooting and dribbling less, and being way more efficient when he does attack. Since these changes, the Wizards have gone 3-1. They did have a shaky start by falling behind 70-49 at half time to the Clippers. Kelly Oubre picked up his 5th foul 15 seconds into the 3rdquarter and only played 12 minutes overall. Surprisingly, they ended up completing a massive comeback to beat the Clippers in the second half. After that win, they followed up with a loss in Toronto, but an impressive team win against the Pelicans. Ending this 10 game stretch, they beat the Rockets in overtime.
In the 4 games with this new rotation, Kelly Oubre and Thomas Bryant have given the Wizards great energy in the starting lineup. However, they have been better when Kelly Oubre is off the floor for the most part. His shots aren’t falling, he gets caught napping on defense, and he does not create for others. Off the bench, Markieff Morris has gotten up way more shots and even played more minutes. Over the past four games he is averaging over 16 points a game while shooting very efficiently from the floor. This is a result of him being one of the best offensive players in the second unit, so he must carry more of a scoring load. A huge improvement has been the usage rate of Porter. Moving him to the 4 has gotten him the touches and shots he deserves. The last 4 games he has been averaging almost 18 points and 8.5 rebounds while shooting 57% from the floor. Incredibly efficient. I believe he is worth his contract because the market said he was the year he signed it. There is no denying he is a solid defender, solid rebounder, and very efficient scorer when given the ball.
Final thoughts and what’s coming…
Overall, the Wizards have played better this last 10 game stretch. Wall has done a great job not turning it over, dribbling less, and attacking more under control. His scoring and assist numbers have looked better as a result of this. The new rotation has been great, but they still have not been defending well in first halves. They seem to normally pick up their intensity and physicality in the second half, but digging a hole is never a good habit. Getting Dwight Howard back, hopefully in the near future, will help this team rebound and defend better. However, this small ball is working, and they cannot hold their breaths hoping he comes back fast.
Even though there are a lot of reasons for positivity, this team still needs to make trades. Wall and Beal are both great players, but their contracts are too big and this core has hit its ceiling. Getting picks, adding young players, and clearing cap space should be this team’s priority. This team can make the playoffs and compete, but they cannot compete for a championship. There is no future right now, and a future needs to be created. The next 10 games will tell a lot about what this team can do this year, AND if they will be together the entire year. I will cautiously say that the internal implosion of the team seems to be a thing of the past for the moment.
My next blog post will be December 16.. Stay tuned!!!
Boo On The Bullets 