NBA basketball is in full swing, and since the season has started, the Wizards have been on a windy road that has ultimately lead to a 3-8 start. At the end of the day, the record of this team should be of least interest to spectators because everyone knows that this roster is not playoff-worthy. Instead, the focus should be on the development of the young guys, the morale of the team as a whole, and the health/stardom of Bradley Beal. Even though the Wizards have started just 3-8, there has been a healthy dose of things to feel good about as well as other things that have been total head-scratchers.
Hachimura and Wagner Can Ball
A few months ago, Hachimura was one of my “possible players to draft with the 8th pick” due to the long-term upside I saw in him. However, I will be the first to admit that I did not see this level of success coming so soon for the Japanese American forward. So far this season, Rui has been one of the top-5 rookies in the league, averaging an efficient 13.1 PPG and 5.5 RPG. Although he is very smart, talented, and poised for a young guy, he still has a lot of room for improvement. The two areas in which Rui needs to improve most are 3-point shooting (21%) and ball handling. Better shooting will come with more reps, but when Rui brings the ball up or tries to break down a defender on the perimeter, he often still looks like a high school big that hasn’t yet grown into his body. I have no doubts that it will become much easier for him to score once he’s less awkward handling the rock. Overall, as Rui rounds out his game, he is going to be a real issue in this league.
On top of Hachimura looking very promising, Wagner is having a good start to his second campaign in the NBA. Off of the bench, he has averaged 12.7 PPG and 5.6 RPG. Wagner can finish around the rim with either hand, can shoot the 3, and plays solid defense. A few nights ago, he had the best game of his young career by dropping 30 and 15 on Karl-Anthony Towns and the Minnesota Timberwolves. Mo is a pest on defense and gets under the skin of opposing bigs, but he needs to do a better job of staying out of foul trouble. At the moment though, I really like where his game is headed.
Thomas Bryant is still playing solid basketball with a lot of energy, but he is taking too many outside shots and is still often out of position on defense. Bryant too easily lets bigs get position on the block early in possessions, and KAT absolutely worked him on both ends of the floor on Friday, which is why Wagner got the nod for the entire 4th quarter. Hopefully, with time, Bryant’s pick and roll and post defense will improve, but right now it doesn’t look much better than it did a season ago. On offense, Bryant has the ability to hit outside shots, but I see him trying to force the issue a lot as if he has something to prove. The young center out of Indiana works hard and plays with passion, but he needs to balance himself out by letting the game come to him a little more.
Bryant may have some areas to improve upon, but Isaac Bonga needs to improve fast if he even wants to stay in this league for the long term. Bonga is only 20, so there is no need to give up on him at this point, but I really haven’t seen a lot out of him so far. While the Wizards were waiting for Troy Brown Jr. to come back from injury, Bonga was in the starting lineup. He is tall, athletic, and long, but he cannot shoot and cannot be counted on to create for others consistently. As of now, the scouting report on Bonga would be that he is a good athlete that plays slightly above-average defense and has no effect on the offensive side of the ball.
IT Still Can’t Play Defense but is Sharing the Ball More
Isaiah Thomas is an absolutely awful on-ball defender, and there’s not much use in trying to describe it further. Simply put, the Wizards are often scrambling on defense because once a screen is set or once the opposing ball handler makes a move, IT is beat and it’s 4 on 5.
On top of his defensive shortcomings, I’ve had my worries about IT shooting too much because the point of the season is to get the young guys to develop. However, over the last 4 games, his shot attempts have seen a small decline including 2 games with under 10 shots. Hopefully, that will continue because, although I’m glad IT has found his joy in playing basketball again, this season is about developing the team for the future.
I’m extraordinarily glad that the Wizards could extend Beal’s contract because he is a shining star. Currently, he is averaging the 2nd most points in the NBA (30.1) and the 14th most assists (6.9); Both are career highs. To make it even better, Beal is doing all of this efficiently (47.8 FG%, 36.5 3P%). He is so smooth, fundamentally sound in all areas, a good defender, a great finisher, a knockdown shooter, etc. However, he needs help to win ball games. As the young guys improve, as Wall gets healthy, and as better free agents are added with the impending termination of Ian Mahinmi’s contract, the reinforcements will come. For now, we just have to enjoy watching him dominate and the young guys grow around him.
With all of the crazy deals that have been made thus far, it has been easy to let what the Wizards have done go unnoticed. During this summer, the Lakers finally got AD, the Clippers pulled off a trade for the ages, KD and Kyrie decided to team up in Brooklyn, Kemba landed in Boston, and even more crazy moves went down. It has been an undeniably exciting summer for the NBA, and most importantly, the NBA has parity again as a result of all the movement. As spectators, we finally don’t feel like the championship is locked up by one team before the season has started. Previously, no one would dare bet against the Warriors, and now, there are legitimately 5-6 teams in the West that could compete for a conference title.
Okay, that’s enough about the rest of the NBA. Remember, we’re here to talk about the Wizards. Let’s look at what the interim GM, Tommy Sheppard, has accomplished so far this summer:
Joined the AD Deal
The Lakers are trading Mo Wagner, Isaac Bonga and Jemerrio Jones to Wizards as part of the Anthony Davis deal with New Orleans, league sources tell @ZachLowe_NBA and me. Deal clears contracts and creates more cap space for free agency.
Thomas Bryant was waived by the Los Angeles Lakers a year ago but just recently signed a 3-year, $25m contract with the Wizards. That’s a pretty impressive 180 turn, and I am extremely excited to watch him continue to grow in D.C. The 21-year-old center out of the University of Indiana plays with heart, can run the floor extremely well and has shown the ability to hit shots from the outside.
With the ineffectiveness of Ian Mahinmi along with the injuries sustained by Dwight Howard last season, Bryant was thrust into a larger role. In 72 games, Bryant averaged a little bit over 20 minutes, 10.5 points, and 6.3 rebounds while shooting an efficient 61% from the floor. He undoubtedly earned this contract from the Wizards, and I am really glad the front office offered it to him.
Well, that was fast. Dwight Howard signed a two-year deal with the Wizards last summer in hopes to rebuild his image in the NBA. However, he was only able to play 9 games before shutting down his season for back surgery. After Howard opted into year 2 of his contract, the Wizards opted to trade Howard to the Grizzlies for CJ Miles.
With the resigning of Thomas Bryant and the acquisition of Mo Wagner from the Lakers, the Wizards will be focused on the development of those two at the center position. Also, Ian Mahinmi is owed $15.4m next year, so keeping Dwight Howard and having 4 centers on the roster would tie up too much money into one position. Howard was the one that needed to be traded because Mahinmi is severely overpaid, so it would’ve been hard to move his contract without giving up a future pick. Luckily, Mahinmi’s contract comes off of the books after next season, so keeping him around does not hinder the team far down the line.
Receiving CJ Miles in this deal adds necessary elements to the Wizards roster. CJ is a very good outside shooter and will add another veteran voice in a locker room that badly needs it. Also, most of the Wizards young guys are not proven outside shooters, so CJ’s ability to space the floor with his shot will give them more room to operate and grow offensively while their shots develop.
Signed and traded Thomas Satoransky
After a good year that was spent mostly in the starting lineup, Sato earned his payday. Unfortunately, his price was a little bit more than the Wizards wanted to give up. The Wizards signed Sato to a 3-year, $30m contract and sent him on his way to Chicago. Here’s the return the Wizards got for him:
Sources: Washington gets some pick value in sign-and-trade: Chicago eliminates protections on 2023 second-round pick to Washington; Wizards get better of Memphis and Chicago's 2020 second-round pick; Wiz get right to swap Lakers 2022 second w/ better of Chi/Det. 2022 seconds.
I like this move because spending $10m/year on Satoransky for 3 years would not make too much sense for them while they are rebuilding. Sato will be 30 when this deal is up, and the Wizards flipped him into some future draft assets. Whenever you’re in an atrocious situation like the Wizards are, it’s never a bad idea to stockpile as many picks as possible. Tommy Sheppard has been doing just that since taking over the reins of the front office.
Signed IT
I was thrown for a turn when the Wizards decided to sign IT to a deal. He has had trouble finding a stable situation since his final season in Boston. However, he has stated multiple times that all he wants is an opportunity to show that he can still play at a high level, and the Wizards have given that to him. When I was a junior in high school, I went to all 3 Wizards home games against the Celtics in the ECSF. I saw John Wall hit a game-winning 3 to force game 7, and I also saw IT get away with everything on the court.
In that series, on defense, IT would climb on Bradley Beal’s back and nothing would be called. On offense, I watched IT carry and travel all the time with it going unnoticed. I also saw him whine if no foul was called whenever he would miss a lay-up. Then, I would watch him go into the post-game press conferences and proceed to complain about the refs in the series. All of that really bothered me. However, if I put my feelings about that series aside, I know that bringing in IT has its benefits. Thomas will bring toughness since he was the last pick in the 2011 NBA draft and plays with a chip on his shoulder. Also, the Wizards simply need guards since Thomas Satoransky was traded, and John Wall will be hurt most of the season. If IT comes in and balls out, the Wizards can get a good return for him by trading him at the deadline to a team making a championship push. If IT is just average, he will still be able to make plays for the young guys on the roster and show them what it takes to win. I look forward to watching him in a Wizards uniform.
Signed UFA Justin Robinson
Very soon after the draft ended, it was announced that the Wizards had come to some sort of a deal with undrafted free agent Justin Robinson. Then, in the summer league, the PG from VT really impressed both me and the front office. I will go into more detail about his performance in a post later this week, but for now, the point is that his stellar showing in Vegas earned him a 3-year deal with the Wizards. I think Robinson has a bright future as a back-up PG in the NBA and am excited to watch him develop on this team.
In a 3-team deal with the Spurs and the Nets, the Wizards added sharpshooting forward Davis Bertans to the roster. Last season, Bertans finished just outside of the top 5 in NBA 3PT shooting percentage, and to get him, the Wizards only had to move the draft rights of Aaron White.
White has been playing overseas since the 2015 NBA draft, and I have not heard much about him since. When Sato was overseas after being drafted, there were rumblings about his play and his potential over there, so we as spectators had a certain level of confidence that he would become an NBA player. Nothing of that nature has been going on in regard to Aaron White, so I have no problem with them moving on from him. Also, I like the move to bring in Bertans because his shooting alongside the playmaking of IT and shooting of CJ Miles will help space the floor on offense, taking the pressure off of the young guys when they are out there.
Overall, I feel that this has been a productive offseason for the Wizards, and I’m really looking forward to watching the development of this young roster. Feel free to tweet me your thoughts on any of the moves Tommy Sheppard has made thus far @BoosBulletsBlog !! In the coming days, I will put out a post recapping what I saw from the Wizards in the summer league! Stay tuned!
Tommy Sheppard has been running the Wizards front office for months now, and so far, so good. I already discussed my approval of how he handled the draft, and now, the Wizards have made another move worth being excited about.
By joining the AD trade as a third party, the Wizards will send off $1.1m to the Pelicans and receive Mortiz Wagner, Isaac Bonga, Jemerrio Jones, and a 2022 second-round pick from the Lakers. Ultimately, this deal was whipped up because it allows the Lakers to free up a total of $32m for a max player. In regards to this trade, the Lakers may be the national headline, but I absolutely love what the Wizards are getting here.
Since the Wizards have no cap space, they need young, cheap talent to fill out the roster. They got that in this deal. Also, the Wizards do not have a single second-round pick to their name until 2023, so acquiring one for 2022 is more important than it seems at first glance.
Let’s take a look at the specific pieces the team is getting here:
Moritz Wagner
It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of Moritz Wagner because I’ve been a University of Michigan fanatic my entire life. According to NBC Sports, the Wizards loved the 6’11” Center during the pre-draft process last year but could not pull the trigger on taking him with the 15th pick. The Lakers drafted him 10 spots later. Wagner had an injury-riddled rookie season with the Lakers but showed that he could stretch the floor when he was out there. When coming out of college, Wagner needed to put on weight, but he has since added mass and can hold his own down low now. Wagner can shoot, is mobile, and loves to play. As he is only 22, he will be a great addition to a frontcourt that also has Thomas Bryant and Rui Hachimura.
Jemerrio Jones
Jemerrio Jones, a 6’5″ SF out of New Mexico State, is an interesting player. In college, he averaged 11 points and 13.2 rebounds a game. During his final season at New Mexico State, he had a stretch where he recorded 20+ rebounds in 3 consecutive games. Last season, his rookie year, he spent most of his time in the G League but got a few opportunities with the Lakers towards the end of last season. In his best statistical game, he scored 11 points and grabbed 15 rebounds on the road against the Portland Trailblazers. As I’m sure you’ve noticed by now, Jones is an oddly impressive rebounder for his size, but unfortunately, he has no outside shot to speak of right now. Hopefully, his shot can develop, but I’m not very optimistic since he is already 24-years-old and still attempted less than 20 threes last season. It should be fun to watch him rip down some rebounds amongst the trees when he gets in next year though.
Isaac Bonga
Isaac Bonga, a PG from Germany, has good size at 6’8″ and was the youngest player in the NBA last year. In 22 games with the Lakers, he played just 5.5 mpg. However, in the G League, he averaged 11.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.2 steals, and 1.1 blocks. The main thing with Bonga is that he is extremely young and cheap, so the Wizards can hopefully mold him into the player they want at a low cost.
2022 Second-Round Pick
The pick is substantial because the Wizards have traded away all of their second-round picks leading up to the year of 2023 (thanks Grunfeld). It is good to see Tommy Sheppard already valuing picks more than the previous GM. Also, Adam Silver is looking to allow high school players to enter the draft by 2022, so the draft pool will hopefully be a little deeper starting around the time of this pick.
Overall, this is a very good move by the Washington front office, and I am starting to hope that Tommy Sheppard is offered the GM job soon. Lastly, free agency starts Sunday night, so get ready for a busy couple of weeks around the league! Have a good 4th of July everyone!
The Wizards caught a lot of people off guard on draft night. It started with the 9th pick, and they continued to surprise when they completed a very productive trade to get into the second round. For weeks experts had been speculating that Sekou Doumbouya would be going to the Wizards on draft night, but then, a trade between the Hawks and Pelicans lead Cam Reddish to still be on the board with the Wizards on the clock. Neither Reddish nor Doumbouya proceeded to hear their name called by Adam Silver.
The Wizards instead took Rui Hachimura out of Gonzaga with the 9th pick. A little over a month ago I put out a post analyzing a few possible draft options at 9, and Rui Hachimura was on that list, along with Cam Reddish and Sekou Doumboya. However, in the following weeks, the Wizards did not have any contact with the 6’8″ PF much less work him out. So, I did not even mention him in my draft preview on June 20th thinking the Wizards surely would not draft someone they had never spoken to… That’s exactly what they did. However, fans should not be upset about the pick, or at least fans should understand it given the circumstances.
The Wizards opted to not try to move Bradley Beal for players and picks, and they also opted to not trade down in the draft to acquire future assets. That left them a star SG that they intend to keep for the long hall (We’ll see what happens), a PG with a torn Achilles, a lot of players getting set to hit free agency, and the 9th overall pick. With all that in consideration, Rui Hachimura was a good pick. If the Wizards believe in Troy Brown Jr., believe they can get Bradley Beal to sign a 3 year $111m extension, and/or don’t think Cam Reddish can play the 4 in a small lineup, then not drafting Cam Reddish was the right move. Reddish is the type of player that will be very good or very bad in my opinion, and the Wizards did not want to roll the dice on him – which is fine. I’m just glad they didn’t screw it up and draft a player that was projected to go at 25th overall.
Rui Hachimura got better every year that he was in college and averaged 19.7 points and 6.5 rebounds all while shooting 59% from the floor in his final year at Gonzaga. He actually did not start playing basketball until he was 13 and is already this good. That’s a great sign.
With good size, athleticism, and a solid shot, Hachimura should not have any problems putting the ball inside of the basket. However, on defense, he has some work to do. With all of the physical tools that Hachimura possesses, he should be a better defender and rebounder than he is, but since he has only been playing basketball for 8 years, I expect those things to improve with time.
From everything I’ve read, it seems as though he is an extremely hard worker, a humble guy, and Bradley Beal said, “He’s a monster”. On top of all this, the most important thing may be that “Rui Hachimura” is an extremely strong name (tell me I’m wrong.. you know it will look great on a jersey). All jokes aside, I like the pick a lot, and you should too.
Trade
The Wizards went into the night without a second round pick, and for a team with not a lot of cap space, that’s bad. They need a way to acquire cheap, young talent, and they did just that. The 76ers sent off the 42nd pick and Jonothan Simmons to the Wizards for $2m. The Wizards will most likely look to trade or waive Simmons before July 1st when his contract becomes fully guaranteed, so the pick was priced at $2m in the end. Anyways, the more important part of the deal was that the Wizards got to make another pick.
With the pick itself, the team added another player that I loved in college, Admiral Schofield. Over the course of 3 years at Tennessee, Schofield shot 50% from the floor and 38.7% from long range. In his final season in college, he really broke out and averaged 16.5 points and 6 rebounds a game while leading Tennessee to the Sweet 16.
Now, I have my questions about Schofield’s ability to play in the NBA given that he is a compact 6’5″ 241 lbs, but the SF out of Tennessee has an extremely high motor, is a great leader, and can definitely shoot the basketball. So, whether he is in the G league or in the NBA, he will be a great part of the organization.
In fact, Schofield has already been showing the team his confidence and leadership skills in camp. Here is a clip of him from THE FIRST DAY (watch it and I promise you will feel inclined to scour the web looking to see if they are selling his Wizards jersey yet):
Overall, it was a good draft night, and I’m excited to see what the team does with the rest of the offseason. As I’m writing this, the Wizards have completed a deal that will send cash to the Pelicans in return for Mo Wagner, Isaac Bonga, and Jemerrio Jones from the Lakers as part of the AD deal. I will put out a post about that later today or tomorrow! Stay tuned.
The Draft is finally here! About a week ago, lakersnation.com reported that the Pelicans wanted to construct a 3-team deal with the Lakers and the Wizards where the Pelicans would have ended up with Bradley Beal. The deal most likely would’ve looked something like:
Wizards receive: Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, and the 4th overall pick
Lakers Recieve: Anthony Davis
Pelicans Receive: Bradley Beal and a future first-round pick via the Lakers
Unfortunately, that did not happen, and the Pelicans and Lakers went on to make a blockbuster deal that sent AD to the Lakers. On top of that, it has since been reported by multiple outlets that the Wizards have no plans to trade Bradley Beal this summer anyways. Whether that is true or not remains to be seen, but it is hard to know what the future holds because the Wizards still have not named a long-term GM. So, as of right now, the Wizards have Bradley Beal on the roster and hold the 9th overall pick in tonight’s draft.
There are a few different directions that the Wizards could go in with the draft tonight. However, after failing to make a 3-team deal with the Pelicans and Lakers, I do not believe moving up or adding another top pick is a legitimate option for them anymore. With the draft order as it is right now, I think the Wizards will draft Sekou Doumbouya out of France at 9.
The 6’9″ international SF/PF is just 18 years old and has a ton of upside. His game is extremely unpolished as of now, but that is to be expected given his age. His defensive game is way ahead of his offense, but I expect the rest of his game to come along nicely in the next couple of years similar to a Pascal Siakam type of player. Even though his 3 ball is extremely inconsistent, his form is solid, so as he gets older/more confident, I expect his outside shot to continue to improve. After watching his highlights, it seems to me that he needs to improve the most at finishing through traffic and shooting off of the dribble. Most mock drafts have him going somewhere from 9 to 11, so I would not at all be opposed to the Wizards taking him at 9 if no projected top prospects fall in tonight’s draft.
Other Possible Scenarios
Cam Reddish
I could definitely see the draft order in the top 10 having a shake-up or two. A very likely shake up, in my opinion, would be a trade between the Pelicans and the Hawks where the Hawks send 8 and 10 to the Pelicans to move up to 4. If that were to happen, I could definitely see Cam Reddish falling down past his projected draft slot of 8. If he is available, the Wizards should take him without hesitation.
Reddish is long, smooth, and has HUGE upside. He was very inconsistent during his freshman year at Duke but was playing alongside two ball dominant players in Zion Williamson and RJ Barret. With a smooth stroke, a strong handle, and a 7’1″ wingspan, he would be a very hard prospect to pass up if he falls to 9.
Trade Down
Keldon Johnson out of Kentucky worked out with the Wizards during the pre-draft process, and if he impressed, the Wizards could consider trading down a few slots to get him at a more reasonable price. Johnson is a 6’6″ SF that has a very good shooting stroke, can finish through contact, and is a solid defender. He is a guy that I think would be able to come in and contribute right away. By trading down, they would most likely be able to add another current or future draft asset also.
Others
Nassir Little- Earlier this week, Little worked out for the Wizards with his college teammate Coby White. Little is a 6’7″ SF from UNC who was underwhelming his freshman year considering the amount of hype surrounding him coming out of high school. However, he has good size, is very athletic, and has time to polish out his offensive game.
Coby White- The 6’5″ combo guard out of UNC was very impressive in his lone year at UNC. He can score, distribute, and is very, very fast. I would be shocked if he wasn’t off of the board by the time the Wizards are on the clock, but if he is somehow available, the Wizards would not pass him up.
I hope you all are as excited for the draft as I am! I will be watching tonight in Chicago and will try to keep you all updated on moves made early in the night on Twitter at @BoosBulletsBlog. GoWizards!
Chaos. The 2019 NBA Draft Lottery was chaos. Before we talk about the Wizards and their options at 9, let’s talk about the lottery itself first. I think it’s fair to say that the night did not go the way most teams were expecting it to.
As you can see in the pictures above, numerous teams that had satisfactory odds to land a top pick going into the night did not see their plans and expectations come to fruition. The Bulls, Suns, Cavs, and Hawks all ended up in considerably lower draft positions than I’m sure they were anticipating based on their odds. On the other hand, the Pelicans with only a 6% chance to get the #1 overall pick finished the night on top, and the Grizzlies with the same odds were gifted the #2 overall pick. With all things being considered, there are a lot of positives about the new draft lottery and some negatives too.
Some fans will not like the new format, understandably so, because it gives teams a chance to get “robbed” of a top pick after a down year. Bulls fans especially have a right to be upset after last night. They have had several down years now, made a good trade at the deadline, ended the year with momentum, and had solid odds to land the number one pick. With the 4th best odds, I’m sure they were hoping to end somewhere as good as 1 or 2 and expected to be somewhere around 3-5. After they got the 7th pick, I texted my good friend Alex Pastor, Bulls fan who is attending the University of Minnesota with me, and he was extremely disappointed with where the Bulls landed and expressed his discontent with the new lottery format. He said he believes that “if teams want to tank, they deserve a guarantee of where they’ll be picking”. I do believe there is some truth to that because bad teams getting the top picks is what helps the NBA be cyclical and allow teams at the bottom get back to the top. However, I think I land more on the side of liking this new format.
Evening out the odds of the draft lottery was supposed to be a deterrent for tanking. Watching teams tank is boring, and it is ultimately bad for ratings because fans do not want to watch a horrendous product. Now, teams can just be relatively bad and get a top pick without fully tanking by trading all serviceable talent away and throwing dreadful lineups out on the court. I imagine the results of last night will illustrate to teams that tanking does not guarantee anything anymore. After the results came out, Rudy Gobert tweeted this:
We just witnessed the end of tanking 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽. And we should be happy about it.
Since the bottom 3 teams all have the same chance to land the number 1 pick (14%), and that it is only 5% higher than the team with the 6th worse record, no one is guaranteed anything. I feel that the new format not only is a great disincentive for tanking that will force teams to continue to put a good product on the court, but it also is good for the excitement of the lottery and the draft. I think this will lead to more people tuning into the lottery in the future, and it will lead to more trades on draft nights.
Wizards Land at 9
I have to admit that I was not ecstatic when I saw that the Wizards obtained the 9th pick last night, but after thinking about it more, there is a lot of reason for positivity in my opinion. Not only are there a few players the Wizards could take here, but they could also trade down. Let me explain.
The 6’8″ Japan native has a ton of upside in my opinion, and I would be very excited if the Wizards drafted him at 9. He can play the 3 or the 4, can post up smaller defenders, can drive by bigger, slower defenders, and he shot 41.7%* from 3 last year. The reason I put an asterisk next to his shooting percentage from 3 is that he only took 1 three per game this past season, so it was a very small sample size. However, he shot an average of just under 77% from the free throw line over the past 2 seasons, so that in addition to his smooth stroke gives me a reason to believe he will be able to knock down shots from the outside at the next level. He is very good from midrange, finishing around the rim, and he drives extremely under control. Where he needs to improve the most is on the defensive end. He has the tools to be a solid defender, but he lacks elite athleticism and will need time to grow on that end of the floor. If the Wizards drafted him, they could decline Jabari Parker’s player option and forget about offering him a new contract. Also, the front office could consider not resigning Portis if they draft Hachimura. I still have a desire to resign Portis if the contract price is reasonable though.
I do not know a ton about Sekou Doumbouya seeing that I am a 19-year old American with no access to scouts or front office execs, but I have seen his name come up a few times in the past 24 hours. As a result, I decided to do a little research on the 18-year old from France. Doumbouya is 6’9″ and has the ability to play the 3 or the 4 from what I’ve seen in his highlights. He seems to be a very good athlete with solid shooting mechanics, and that is always promising. It is clear on tape that he is very young and unpolished, but the fact that he is only 18 means that he has a ton of time to improve. Here is a link to a scouting report of him done by NBA Scouting Room: http://www.nbadraftroom.com/2017/02/sekou-doumbouya.html
Overall, he seems to be a really interesting prospect with a ton of upside and a lot of room to improve. I will gladly leave the decision of what to do in regards to Doumbouya up to whoever the GM is on draft night since I did not know who he was until 24-hours ago. If the Wizards draft him, I will have a lot of justifiable optimism towards his capabilities based upon what I have watched and read about him.
Trade Back
Trading back would not be a bad idea seeing that the Wizards need assets and do not own the rights to a second-round pick until 2023. If a player like Cam Reddish or De’Andre Hunter falls to the Wizards at 9, then they have to pick them, but in any other scenario, trading down may be the best play. Last year, the 76ers traded down from 10 to 16 and got a 2021 unprotected first-round pick out of it. So, all it takes is for one team outside of the lottery, or even just in the late lottery, to get super high on a player projected to go out of their reach for the Wizards to cash in. There are some intriguing prospects in the mid to late first-round the Wizards could consider anyways. For example, Tyler Herro and Nickeil Alexander-Walker are both guards worth taking fliers on in the mid or late first-round. Herro, as we all know, can score the Ball. He is a very interesting 3&D prospect for the next level but needs to find consistency. I loved his game at Kentucky, and I think a lot of front offices will be interested in him too. On the other hand, Alexander-Walker has a lot more upside than I think a lot of people realize. He is very smart, can score in a multitude of ways, and boasts a 6’9″ wingspan on a 6’5″ frame.
Although 9 is not what everyone was hoping for going into the lottery, the Wizards have a lot of flexibility with where they are in this draft order. There are good players they could take with their pick, a very high upside player could fall into their lap, or they could trade down to get assets and an intriguing mid to late round prospect. A quick post regarding who I want the Wizards to take and what it means for others who are on the roster already will come out the week of the draft. Stay posted…
The season is finally over! This year was a rollercoaster ride full of trades, injuries, highs, and lows, but it ends with the Wizards finishing with the 6th worst record in the NBA. It is tough to see the positives right now but firing Ernie Grunfeld and having a good pick in a loaded draft class has quickly changed my feeling as a fan from trapped to excited. Before we dive into outlook, let’s talk last 12 games briefly.
Last 12 Games of the Season
The Wizards finished the season on a 2-12 stretch which landed them the 6th worst record in the league. Most of this stretch was used to get young guys more action as Troy Brown jr. was inserted into the starting lineup and played 30 mpg in the last 10. Also, Jordan McRae received an average of 20.9 mpg in the 7 games he played in, and Thomas Bryant was reinserted into the starting lineup for the final 10 games of the season.
All 3 of these young players showed promising capabilities. McRae displayed his abilities as a scorer posting 9.9 ppg off of the bench. He needs to become a better outside shooter, but he is adept at getting to the basket and scoring off the bounce. Back in his starting role, Thomas Bryant did not disappoint as he averaged a double-double in his last 10 games posting 16.6 ppg and 10.2 rpg. Last but not least, Troy Brown confirmed why he deserved to be a first-round pick. There was a lot of chatter all over social media by fans running his name through the mud because the 19-year-old hadn’t shown them enough apparently. He quieted a lot of this talk when he went in to Denver, while the Nuggets were fighting for the top seed in the West, and put up 24 points and 7 rebounds on 9/16 from the floor and 5/7 from 3. Here is a link to the highlights below:
Brown has a relatively smooth jump shot that needs more reps, a great understanding for the game, and he can play/guard multiple positions on the floor. I am excited to see how these young guys develop in the future, and I really think that Bryant and Brown are going to be very nice pieces in this league.
Ernie Finally Got Fired
On April 2, 2019, a lot of Wizards fans, right or wrong, rejoiced because the Wizards fired Ernie Grunfeld. Let’s take a quick look at some of the things Ernie has done in his tenure as Wizards GM…
Under Ernie Grunfeld, the Wizards never made it past the 2nd-round of the playoffs and had an overall record of 568-724. He did some positive things like draft Bradley Beal, John Wall, and Otto Porter. He also traded one of the biggest busts in NBA history, Kwame Brown, for Caron Butler who ended up making 2 all-star teams as a Washington Wizard. This year, Ernie Grunfeld signed diamond in the rough Thomas Bryant who looks to be a solid, young pick up, and he traded Otto Porter at the perfect time. In 16 years, the Wizards made the playoffs 8 times under Grunfeld’s guidance, and I will admit there was excitement in the nation’s capital at times. There are other positive moves we could look at, but Grunfeld never did anything spectacular that showed he had an innate talent for being a GM.
Unfortunately, the downfalls of the Grunfeld era way outweigh the few positives we can point to, and that is why the Wizards have struggled so mightily. In 2009, Grunfeld sent away the 5th overall pick for Randy Foye and Mike Miller, both of whom were no longer members of the team after one season. 2 years later in 2011, the Wizards wasted both of their first-round picks on Jan Vesely and Chris Singleton, both of whom were out of the league after 2014. In 2017, Grunfeld sent away a first-round pick at the trade deadline to get Bojan Bogdanovic as fire power to chase an ECF. The Wizards ended up losing to the Celtics in 7 games in the 2nd-round and Bojan was on the Pacers the next season…
Overall, Ernie did some good things and some bad things, but definitely made way more head scratching moves than ones worth applauding. He inexcusably traded away first-round picks for role players time and time again and whiffed in the draft way too often to justify keeping him for the entirety of these past 16 years. It was time for a change, and I commend Ted Leonsis for moving in a new direction.
Offseason to Do List
1) Hire a new GM
In deciding who to hire to be the next GM, the most important question to ask each candidate would be: how do you plan to bring the Wizards back to being a consistent playoff team even with a 28-year-old John Wall who will be coming off a torn Achilles on a super-max contract?
2) Do NOTdraft a Center or a PG.
The Wizards will have a very good pick in this draft, and no matter how high or low their pick is, I am in firm belief now is not the time to draft a PG or a Center. John Wall is going to be under contract for the next 4 years making around $42.5 million a year, so there is no reason to draft Ja Morant if the Wizards somehow beat the odds and get the second overall pick. That would just create tension with John Wall and tie up more money in the PG position. For the Center position, the Wizards are going to have to pay a constantly fouling, injury prone Ian Mahinmi $15 million next season, and also have to pay Dwight Howard coming off of lower back surgery $5 million assuming he picks up his player option. On top of this, I believe that the 21-year-old, Thomas Bryant, earned another contract for next year based on what we have seen from him thus far. He plays with a high motor, can shoot the 3, and will only improve on what he showed this year. So, if the Wizards resign Bryant, that would make 3 centers under contract at around $25 million combined for next season, and I do not believe drafting Jaxson Hayes, the number 1 center prospect, is a better option right now with all of the good SG, SF, and PF in this draft.
3) My top 2 draft candidates for the Wizards assuming they get the 6th pick
De’Andre Hunter, 6’7″ SF from UVA, is a very likely draft candidate for the Washington Wizards this year. His draft stock soared due to his performance in the NCAA tournament, and he capped it off with a great national championship performance scoring 27 points, grabbing 9 rebounds, hitting 4 threes, and leading his team to a victory. Hunter did not take many 3s per game in college, which will have to change in the NBA, but he hit 38% of his shots from beyond the arc and hit 78% of his free throws. The free throw percentage tells me that he will be able to hit his 3s when he shoots them at a higher clip. He is also a very good on ball defender which the Wizards could always use another one of, and I think his IQ is off the charts. He does not turn the ball over, he knows when and where to cut, and he seldom forces anything. He is a solid athlete with a good midrange game, but really needs to improve his ball handling so that he can play out on the perimeter and burst by people to create easier shots around the rim.
Cam Reddish, the 6’8″ forward from Duke, had an up and down freshman year but has an incredibly high ceiling. When Zion went down with his injuries, Reddish really stepped up his game. His biggest strengths are his silky-smooth jump shot, his ball handling, and his length. He can shoot the 3, get to the basket, and has the length to bother whoever he is guarding, but he needs to improve his finishing around the basket/get stronger, and get better at keeping his guy in front of him on defense with his feet rather than trying to rely on his length.
I would also like the Wizards to look at Rui Hachimura, the PF from Gonzaga, and Texas Tech’s SG Jarret Culver. I will discuss the draft and other draft options more once I know what pick the Wizards have, but right now am just very excited to see what pick the Wizards get. I am also undecided to what I would like the front office to do in regard to Bradley Beal. It may be time to hit a full rebuild and trade him for picks, young players, and expiring contracts. However, Beal is only 25, he is playing the best basketball of his career, and says he wants to always be in a Wizards uniform giving hope that he will resign when his contract is up. I will give an opinion on what direction I think the team should go in regard to Beal after the draft.
4)Decline Parker’s Player Option and Find Ways to Resign Bryant, Ariza, Portis, and Sato
It is no secret that Jabari Parker is not worth $20 million dollars a year, but he showed a lot of good things after being traded to the Wizards. No matter what, the Wizards should decline his $20 million player option for next season, but they could still resign him for cheaper if he is open to it and see how he produces. I would not sign him for anything over $13 million, so if he will not take less than that, the front office should let him walk, but he is only 24 and has talent. If he continues to play above the rim, play hard defense, and push the pace off of rebounds, he could be a valuable trade asset down the line if nothing else on a smaller contract.
I already explained why Bryant should be resigned… this is a no brainer.
In regard to Ariza, the Wizards could’ve gotten a good return out of him at the trade deadline, but there was a mutual interest in him resigning here for next season apparently. I was all for it at the time, and I hope nothing has changed just because Grunfeld is fired. Ariza is a good, veteran leader for young guys, can shoot, and play defense. On top of that, the Wizards could always get good value for him at the trade deadlined next year if need-be because any western conference team in contention drools over a long 3-point shooter like Ariza.
I like Bobby Portis’ game because he is 6’10”, plays with reckless abandon, can shoot the 3 at a high clip, and is deceptively crafty. He also should not be that expensive to resign at the end of the day. If he does not cost too much, I would love for the Wizards to look at resigning Portis on a short-term deal because of what I mentioned before, and he is also only 24 years old.
Sato might cost a decent amount of money after what he has shown over the last couple of years with Wall getting hurt, but I think there is a mutual interest in him coming back. He is smart, steadily improving, lengthy for defense, and the Wizards are going to need a serviceable PG with Wall being hurt for most of next year. He is so unselfish, and I think it would be greatly beneficial for the team’s other young players and this summer’s draft pick to play with a smart, unselfish floor general like Sato next season.
Another season is down, and I hope you all feel more excited about the future and the development of this team now than you did a few weeks ago! I cannot wait for the draft to arrive, so stay tuned for a more in-depth draft post when I know what pick the Wizards have.
As always, feel free to tweet your questions and comments to me @BoosBulletsBlog!
The 2nd to last 10-game stretch is over. The team played well going 6-4, but they are still in 11th place and 3.5 games out of 8th. Thank goodness. It is good to see the Wizards play hard, play well, and still find a way to lose. Their close losses keep them engaged which will allow them to avoid falling into a trap where they don’t care anymore. If everyone stops caring well before the season ends, that creates a toxic culture for young guys, veterans, and stars. Playing well but coming up short in just enough games to stay in the middle of the draft lottery has been a blessing. As long as they keep believing in themselves, this team full of young guys will continue to grow, and with a possibly good draft pick this summer, there could be excitement in the nation’s capital again sooner rather than later. However, I will hold off on offseason talks and organizational outlook until the offseason. Let’s talk about what happened in our 6-4 stretch
Troy Brown’s Minutes Increase
Would you look at that… Troy Brown shows improvement when he is given opportunities to grow in real NBA games. In the last 10-games he has average 15.9 minutes a game which is a huge uptick compared to his 9 mpg average for the season. In the recent stretch, he showed me more than I was even expecting out of the 19-year old this early. Jump shooting was a concern for him, still is to an extent, but he has shown a great touch with his jump shot especially off of the dribble. In general, he needs to work on his confidence (he is only 19; it will come) and his shot off of the catch. Brown is extremely poised and smart for a young player. He averaged a solid 6.3 ppg, 4.4 rpg, and 2.4 apg in the last 10, and I like that Coach Brooks stated that he plans to increase his minutes even more.
Beal Continues to Be a Beast
Enough said…. Fine, I will say a little bit more but will keep this short and sweet. Beal capped off this 10-game stretch with 2 40-point games in 2 nights. One of those games came against the Grizzlies who only give up 104.3 ppg as a team which is 2nd in the NBA. Overall in the last 10, Beal put up a marvelous line of 29.9 ppg, 7.0 apg, and 6.6 rpg. Not only is he a force on offense but is an incredibly discipline on-ball defender who creates a lot of problems for the players he guards. He is literally unstoppable, and he just keeps getting better and better. Here were his stats in February alone…
As we all know by now, Thomas Bryant has been one of the Bright spots for the season. Not only does he bring energy and personality to the locker room, but also a ton of potential that I think surprised a lot of people. In college, he was a very solid center in the Big Ten at the University of Indiana but came into the league unpolished and a tad light. Boy has he made strides this year. Now with the addition of Bobby Portis through the trade deadline, Bryant has been coming off of the bench for the Wizards recently and has excelled quite nicely in his role. He is a great spark off of the bench that can hit the occasional 3, grab some rebounds, and will always give you effort. We saw this when he was the starter. Bryant still needs to get stronger, but the kid is young and has time for that. While coming off of the bench the last 10-games, he has put up 9.4 points and 4.7 rebounds in just 18 mpg. That is 18.8 points and 9.4 rebounds per 36 minutes. His play off of the bench has made me entertain the idea of wanting the Wizards to draft a big and commit to Bryant being a very very good back up. However, there are financial and roster complications that would come with a move like that which I will discuss once the season ends.
Why Do They Lose to Bad Teams?
With Bradley Beal going off, Jabari Parker playing great, and the wing tandem of Trevor Ariza/ Jeff Green hitting their 3s you may be wondering why this team continues to lose to subpar teams. One of the few answers is defense. As seen since the trade deadline, the Wizards 100% have offensive weapons and are a tough team to guard. However, they cannot guard anyone. They do not start a center now that Bobby Portis (PF) is starting in place of Thomas Bryant, and no one but Beal and sometimes Sato seems to keep their man in front of them.
They have such a tough time defending ball screens and guarding on-ball that players are helping off of their man 5 seconds into every possession. After the initial ball handlers beat the first line of defense and help comes, kick outs happen and the defenders that had to help fly out to chase shooters off of the line. Now everyone is in chase mode the entire possession. I went to the game last night against the Grizzlies where the Wizards gave up 128 points, and it was driving me crazy how every possession the Wizards were just chasing the entire time. Here are the rankings for points allowed in the NBA. You’ll have to scroll pretty far down to find the Wizards….
Here they are down at 29. That is a huge reason why they lose to teams that everyone thinks they should beat. Every NBA player is ridiculously good at the sport, and if you give players a lot of room to shoot, they will hit shots no matter who they are. The Wizards’ awful defense combined with the skill level of NBA players on offense is exactly why they have lost to the Hawks and the Cavs twice each but have beaten the Thunder, the 76ers, and the Bucks. You can lose to anyone but beat anyone with poor defense of shooters and good offensive talent.
Enough about defense, I will leave you with a positive. Did you forget about Dwight Howard? He looks to be making good strides towards a full recovery.. check it out!
Remember when I said drafting a center might be complicated? (Bryant, Mahinmi, Howard, and the draft pick?) We will discuss later!
Overall, I am happy with what I am seeing out of this team and am excited to talk about the offseason with you all when we get there. Let’s hope that the team can finish out the season healthy. If that happens, we will have a 12-game update to end the season in April since it is an 82 game season, and then can talk about the future of the team!!
If you have any thoughts about the team or the blog feel free to leave a comment here or tweet at me @BoosBulletsBlog!
This season has been a roller coaster ride thus far, but I feel as though we finally know where it is headed: nowhere. There was some hope that the playoffs were in reach, but once Wall went down, trades had to be made and the team is just not as good now. The Wizards were 3-7 in the last 10-game stretch with a 2-4 record after the trade deadline. Now with 2 straight losses following the all-star break, the Wizards find themselves in 11th place and 4 full games behind the 8th seeded Pistons. The playoffs aren’t happening this year, but we knew that once the trades were made. Honestly, the home loss to the Hawks 7 games ago was probably when we all should’ve known that a playoff push was going to be a long shot. I’m going to wait to talk about how the offseason should be handled until we get to the end of the season because of course you never know what can happen the rest of this season. So, just bear with me for a few more 10-game updates.
Portis and Parker
I have seen some good and some bad out of the both of these 2, but both have pleasantly surprised me overall with their play. Jabari Parker has had a very interesting stretch since he joined the Wizards. Over the last 5 games, he has been averaging 11.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 2.4 assists, but he also averaged 3.6 turnovers a game that stretch. He has played way more defense than I had anticipated considering last summer he said teams “don’t pay players to play defense”. So, the spotty yet respectable defensive effort I’ve seen from him has been a nice surprise. Unlike the other forwards the Wizards have had throughout this year, Green, Ariza, Oubre, and Porter, Jabari has shown the ability to pull down a rebound and push it himself which is a huge plus. The Wizards have stated a desire to play fast for a couple years now and having a forward that can handle the ball and push the pace to score or create helps a lot. However, 3.6 turnovers a game is a ton for someone playing off of the ball, and I hope he can improve upon that number. Even Bradley Beal, who has had the ball in his hands an extreme amount lately for good reason, only averaged 2 turnovers a game while dishing out 7.4 assists in the last 5 games. On top of being able to push the ball, Parker has shown the ability to score very well at times and play above the rim.
He has put up 20 points twice in the last 5 games, but has also put up 0 and 4 on a couple other nights. He has talent but is very inconsistent.
I honestly have liked a lot of what I’ve seen out of Bobby Portis. From what I’ve gathered, he is one of those guys in the NBA that just plays really really hard, and I respect the shit out of him for it. On top of that, he has very good size for his position at 6’11” 250 lbs and can hit the outside shot efficiently. In the last 5, he has averaged 13 ppg and 7.8 rpg while shooting 45% from beyond the arc. He plays hard defensively, attacks strong on offense, and lets it fly when he’s open, and I have enjoyed the addition of him thus far.
Bradley Beal
Beal is an absolute Beast. In this stretch where the team went 3-7, he averaged 29.9 ppg and 7.1 apg on 52% shooting from the floor. Quite frankly, he is showcasing his talent but also his need for help. After every game, I make very quick, little notes on my laptop highlighting the players and the things that popped out to me or headlined a certain game. These notes are made so that I can look back and remind myself of some certain things to mention after each 10-game stretch and look for common trends. The only thing I see popping up consistently in almost all of the games is something simple along the lines of “Bradley Beal goes off” or “Bradley Beal is really good”. A good example from the last 10-game stretch is right here:
That is all that needed to be said. “Beal goes off again”. He had 31 points on 13/21 shooting in that win over the Bulls. After dropping 35 in last night’s loss to the Pacers, Beal extended his streak of consecutive games with over 20 points to 14 which is a new career high for him. This came one night after dropping 46 on 16/25 in a road loss to Charlotte. He has been outstanding lately, but the team just has not. However, at the end of the day, they are playing relatively hard even though they cannot stop anyone from scoring and at the same time, they are trending towards getting a better draft pick. What more could you ask for right now as a fan?
Keep your Eye on Moving Forward…
1.Dwight Howard is nearing a return to the lineup possibly. He is reported to be ready for light workouts again but has no clear timeline to rejoin the team in games. It is good to see that he is recovering well from his surgery, and hopefully he can get back out there and get comfortable playing basketball again. This will be important to an extent because it is my guess that he will choose to pick up his player option after this season. He has had a windy road the last handful of years and has spent most of this year injured, so his best chance of guaranteed money is picking up his $5.6 million option in D.C.
2. Tonight, Thomas Bryant was moved to a reserve role, and Bobby Portis got the nod in the starting lineup. Both turned in good games, but Bryant received way more minutes and turned in a superb outing tonight. He played 31 minutes, scored 23 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, and hit 2/4 shots from behind the arc tonight. It is easy to see that he loves to play ball, so I am extremely glad that he came out motivated tonight and played an amazing game even though he was moved to a reserve role for the first time in months. Bryant has so much potential, but he is still learning. If you can recall from the screenshot of my notes earlier, you definitely saw “Bryant has trouble on Pick and Rolls”, and that means defensively. He does not know when to commit to an attacking guard, when to jump back to the big, or how to play angles. Defense is a challenge for him right now, but he has already improved a ton.
3. A decision soon needs to be made regarding Jordan McRae’s two-way contract. The quick gist of it is that when a player is on a two-way contract, they can only spend 45 days with their NBA team affiliate. When those games are used up, they cannot play with the NBA team until their G-league team’s season is over. McRae only has a handful of games left he’s allowed to play, and for the Wizards to be able to play him as much as they want, they would need to convert his contract to a standard NBA one. However, they are only $153,000 away from the luxury tax line, so with the playoffs slipping further and further out of reach, it is very unlikely he gets a standard NBA contract. In a recent 4-game stretch with the Wizards, it is worth noting, he scored 15, 9, 12, and 20 in each of those 4 games. So, he does have a lot of talent and may earn that contract one day.
4. I really hope the minutes of Bradley Beal, Troy Brown, and Devin Robinson all change as the season draws closer to an end because the Wizards aren’t making the playoffs. Even when healthy, Troy Brown has not been playing much at all recently. I would love to see him stick with the Wizards, not the Go-Go, and get minutes while with the Wizards. This is a perfect time for him to be given a chance to play valuable minutes, and the kid has talent. It is not like the Wizards would be experimenting with someone they shouldn’t; he is their first-round pick.
I also wouldn’t mind seeing Devin Robinson, 23-year-old PF from the University of Florida, receive some minutes as well. He is raw and developing but is tall, long, can jump out of the gym, and can shoot from the outside. In at least the last 5 games of the year, I would love to see what he could do with an extremely minor role of maybe 8 minutes a game.
With Bradley Beal, I hope his minutes will be toned down just a tad once we are completely out of the playoff race. Now is not that time, but he played 83/96 minutes in the 2 games of the Wizards back to back this weekend. That is relatively understandable because as a coach and a player, you must believe you have the chance to make the playoffs still. However, even with him playing that much and scoring 46 and 35, they still lost both games, so losses will come. The playoffs will become further from sight, and that is when his minutes should not continue to be above 40 on regular nights. I want to be CLEAR though, now is not that time. It is their job and their duty to do everything that they can do to win games and push for the playoffs, but I’m just stating that they won’t be able to do it.
The rest of the season will be tough to watch, but make sure you keep turning on the games every once in a while too! It will hopefully be a good time to see some young guns like Troy Brown, Chasson Randle, Thomas Bryant, and Devin Robinson improve! I will be watching every single one and will be here for any newsworthy updates as always! Until next time!
As a result of John Wall tearing his Achilles, the Wizards had to change their strategy regarding the trade deadline. I wonder if the Wizards’ front office has been reading my blog because after I said that Otto Porter should be back in the starting lineup a few weeks ago, he became a starter again the next night. Also, after I said the team should trade Otto Porter for expiring contracts and a pick, the Wizards did exactly that a little over 24 hours later. Honestly, if I’m working for them right now, I just want to be made aware of it. All jokes aside, 3 noteworthy things happened around the deadline, and we are going to run through them together right now:
Wizards receive: Jabari Parker, Bobby Portis, 2023 Second-Round Pick
Bulls receive: Otto Porter Jr.
Even though I will miss Otto, I like this trade a lot. Without Wall for most of, if not all of, next season, the Wizards need financial flexibility this upcoming offseason, and that is exactly what this trade got them. Bobby Portis is owed $2.4 million this year and his contract expires after this season. He is shooting 37.5% from 3 which is solid, and the Wizards will have until the end of June to submit a $3.6 million qualifying offer if they have any desire to keep him. Jabari Parker is under a 2-year $40 million contract with next year being a team option; That should definitely be declined…. There is no doubt that he is an offensively talented player, but he has never played much defense and has had multiple ACL tears in his career. He is not a player that should be allocated $20 million of cap space. With this trade, the Wizards bought themselves at least $24 million more to work with this offseason than they would have had if they kept Otto, and I absolutely love the flexibility it gives them to chase free agents. It also, more than likely, made them a little worse, so they should get a better draft pick as a result. Later, the second-round draft pick the Wizards got in this trade ended up being sent off to the Pelicans in another trade that occurred a few hours later:
Wizards Receive: Wesley Johnson
Pelicans Receive: Markieff Morris and 2023 Second- Round Draft Pick
The biggest thing that this trade did was get the Wizards below the luxury tax line, so they will not be subject to repeater taxes. On top of not having to pay taxes, they will receive their share of tax payments distributed to non-taxpaying teams. Other than that, this trade does not carry a lot of weight. Wesley Johnson this season was only playing 6.7 minutes a game for the Pelicans on an expiring deal, and Kieff has been sidelined with a neck injury for much of the season. This was strictly a financial move and a good move by the front office.
The Wizards only have 5 contracts guaranteed through next season now, so free agency will be a busy time for them. One free agent it looks like they have a good chance to sign is Trevor Ariza…
Lakers are interested, but Trevor Ariza and Washington Wizards remain in each's future plans, league sources tell ESPN. Ariza is enthusiastic about re-signing with Washington. Wizards' trades creating financial flexibility that'll make it easier to bring Ariza back on new deal
He is a good, veteran piece that brings a lot of versatility on the wing, and could help mentor young players like Jordan McRae and Troy Brown. If the Wizards could retain him at a reasonable price, I would have no problem with them resigning him.
Hopefully they use their new financial flexibility well in free agency and get a good pick in this year’s draft now that they look to be way out of the playoff race. Overall, this was a very successful trade deadline for the team. I was pleasantly surprised to see the front office not be content to just keep on trying the same things over and over again expecting different results. John Wall’s injury and a homeloss to the Hawks changed the situation for the team, and the front office adapted well. This gives them breathing room and options going into an offseason that will have a lot of good players heading into free agency. It should be fun!!
Tweet at me your comments and reactions to the Wizards trade deadline moves! @Boosbulletsblog. Also, best of luck to Markieff Morris and Otto Porter on their new rosters!
Boo On The Bullets 