Washington Wizards Season Thread - Abandon All Hope Ye Who Enter Here

[joe cool23]

Becky Hammon.

(It feels inevitable, right?)

 

[Methodical Management]

Bertans went 0-4 in Game 2, and Brooks’ response was to start him, not because he’d earned it, but because he played so poorly that Brooks felt he was “due for a good night.”

He responded by going 1-5 from distance in Game 3 and finished at a horrendous -34.

Becky Hammon.

(It feels inevitable, right?)

I’d be in favor of that, but, for longtime fans, it’s a Brooks extension that feels inescapable.

Just ask yourself what the laziest, cheapest, most short-term self-gratifying and long-term self-sabotaging move would be and you’ll rarely be surprised by the Wizards’ top-level decisions.

 

[frshstunna]

Brooks not going anywhere

 

[Public Enemy]

Ted rockin limited edition Wes Unseld joints with the stockx tag

 

[madj55]

Welp. I hope Ted is happy with 10% capacity crowds cause that’s what he’s gonna get with this move.

 

[Public Enemy]

Welp. I hope Ted is happy with 10% capacity crowds cause that’s what he’s gonna get with this move.

It happened finally!

 

[DCAllAfrican]

Hoping for

Pack
Cassell
David Vanderpool

 

[VARNELL HILL]

Good step in the right direction. I still will not renew my seats until Westbrooks is no longer with the team.

 

[uncalled4boy]

Very Surprised Brooks Wasnt Retained.

 

[Methodical Management]

Ted rockin limited edition Wes Unseld joints with the stockx tag

It happened finally!

As much as I'd love to bask in the sliver of false hope created by the new coaching vacancy, I am obligated to point out that the Wizards wanted to bring Brooks back - and only "parted ways" after negotiations broke down. That doesn't inspire much confidence. Brooks was still the first choice; he just wouldn't accept the number of years and/or money they offered.

While Ted's legendary cheapness may have actually saved us today, it will almost certainly cost us a top candidate tomorrow, which makes this hard to celebrate.
They did the right thing for the wrong reason.

 

[Public Enemy]

As much as I'd love to bask in the sliver of false hope created by the new coaching vacancy, I am obligated to point out that the Wizards wanted to bring Brooks back - and only "parted ways" after negotiations broke down. That doesn't inspire much confidence. Brooks was still the first choice; he just wouldn't accept the number of years and/or money they offered.

While Ted's legendary cheapness may have actually saved us today, it will almost certainly cost us a top candidate tomorrow, which makes this hard to celebrate.
They did the right thing for the wrong reason.

Yeah, gotta take the wins even when the other team basically loses it rather than you winning.

Who do you think the Wizards will hire?

 

[frshstunna]

New coach won’t matter if they running back Beal/Westbrook x random role players

 

[Public Enemy]

 

[joe cool23]

 

[Public Enemy]

 

[Public Enemy]

What do yall think is going to happen next? Beal & Russ get moved for picks and a couple players? Pick #15 gets traded for later 1st round picks? Nothing at all? Only Russ gets traded and Beal stays, or Beal gets traded and Russ stays?

 

[frshstunna]

Russ def gone, trade him for anything just to get yo off the books…Beal gotta request a trade, that’s 50/50 right now since he likes being in DC and having is “own” squad

 

[pmatic]

Spoiler

Aldridge: It’s time, finally, for the Wizards and Bradley Beal to move on from each other

Someone needs to be the bad guy, for the sake of the Washington Wizards and Bradley Beal.

Neither one of them wants to publicly state what is obvious now and has been for two years: There’s no realistic path where Beal finishes his career in Washington on a Wizards team that is a true championship contender. No one doubts Beal wants to be Alex Ovechkin or Darrell Green and play his whole career here. His love for the franchise that drafted him and the city in which he’s reached adulthood is genuine. But so is his desire to play for a ring. And that can’t happen here, right now — and not likely any time soon, with Beal and Russell Westbrook making a combined $78 million next year and Beal in line for a 35 percent max deal in 2022 after he completes his 10th season in the league.

Old heads may remember the play and movie “Mister Roberts” about a Navy lieutenant languishing on a cargo ship in the Pacific in 1944, desperate to get to the front before the end of World War II. In a completely different vein, Beal wants to be on the big stage before the end of his prime, before he’s powerless to impact the outcomes of meaningful games.

But no one wants to be the villain.

Neither party can seem to summon up the collective will that other franchises and players have in recent years, to put their heads together and work out the best possible deal for both parties. And that’s understandable. It got messy in New Orleans when Anthony Davis forced his way to the Lakers. Jimmy Butler had similarly awkward exits from Minnesota and Philly en route to Miami. No one wants that. But it’s time to start this in motion — before Thursday’s draft, when Washington could reset so much faster by sending Beal on his way. It will require Ted Leonsis and Tommy Sheppard to step into uncomfortable discussions with Beal and his agents. But this has to happen. The timing isn’t ideal, but when you think about it, when would it be?

Beal reportedly is mulling his future. He can become an unrestricted free agent next summer, when he’d have 10 years in the league and could get a 35 percent max deal with the Wizards or anyone else. He could, of course, end all the speculation immediately, by saying, “I plan to be with the Wizards the rest of my career. I will either sign an extension with them this fall or wait until next summer and sign a max deal with them in 2022. Even if I opt to become a free agent, I will not sign with anyone else.”

But he won’t. Why on earth would he? I wouldn’t, either.

Beal’s been here since he was 19. He’s now 28. He’s given Washington nine excellent seasons, been a great steward in the community, played hurt when it mattered most. He’s been extraordinarily patient since John Wall started to break down physically, playing on bad teams while assuming a leadership role both publicly and behind the scenes for a franchise that needed it. His legacy is secure. His jersey’s going up in the rafters. But he’s not obligated to play here forever.

Golden State’s interest is real, and the Warriors have players and picks — some combination of 20-year-old center James Wiseman, veteran Andrew Wiggins, along with picks 7 and 14 in the lottery, in a deep draft — that could start a Wizards rebuild in earnest.

A Bleacher Report story claimed Toronto would be willing to talk about All-Star forward Pascal Siakam and the No. 4 overall pick Thursday for Beal, among other potential deals with other teams for other stars. If that’s true, it would be franchise malpractice not to jump on that. Yes, Siakam’s on a huge contract, and he shot less than 30 percent on 3s last season. As the Raptors’ season came apart with injuries, he did not appear suited to be a leading man.

But tell me the last Wizards forward who averaged 21.4 points, 7.2 boards and 4.5 assists in a “bad” season and made the All-Star team. That version of Siakam, just 27, is still better than any frontcourt player the Wizards have.

And the potential opportunity to not only add Siakam, but then be able to take either a Jalen Green or Jalen Suggs with the fourth pick, is not even worth debating. You do it 100 times out of 100.

Either Jalen would give Washington, for the first time in a decade, a great young backcourt talent about which its fans could dream and invest hope, like when the Wizards got Wall (2010) and Beal (2012) via the draft. Both are playmakers. Both are scorers. Both are leaders. Both know what it’s like to play with other talented young people — including with each other on USA Basketball teams. (If Detroit was wowed by Evan Mobley’s pre-draft workout and is thinking of taking the USC big at No. 1, well, that means a Suggs or Cade Cunningham could be there at No. 4.)

It’s laudable that Beal wants to be classy, the way Tim Duncan was all those years in San Antonio, when he never hinted he was unhappy but kept signing short contracts later in his career to make sure the Spurs always understood he was always paying attention — and had leverage. But they were collecting pelts in San Antonio. They aren’t anywhere close to that here.

And if Beal doesn’t think Washington can get him where he wants to go, he needs to tell them he wants to go.

Whether it’s the Warriors or the Raptors or the Sixers or the Hawks, there are any number of teams that saw how Milwaukee’s acquisition of Jrue Holiday last fall helped lift the Bucks to the promised land. Multiple teams remain who would happily take a similar flier on Washington’s two-time All-Star.

Washington’s added solid young players under Sheppard’s stewardship the last two years. Rui Hachimura showed signs of real growth in his second season. Deni Avdija was thought of as a top-five talent before last year’s draft. We all saw Daniel Gafford’s impact down the stretch last season. Thomas Bryant looked like a legit stretch five before he tore his ACL. But none of these are “wow” prospects like a Green or Suggs, or a James Bouknight, the UConn guard who is a potential Golden State target at 7. And Washington isn’t likely to secure one with the 15th pick Thursday.

The Wizards continue to say they will build a great team around Beal and Westbrook. But, how? Their pick Thursday could add a solid two-way wing, sure. But that guy’s not likely to be a difference-maker. And they still owe Houston a protected 2023 first from last year’s Westbrook trade. It won’t convey to the Rockets until it falls out of the high lottery, but that leaves Washington hamstrung for the foreseeable future when it comes to aggregating future picks in potential trades (though pick swaps, a recent team tactic, are a workaround to the Stepien Rule).

Washington is similarly limited in free agency to the non-taxpayer midlevel exception, starting at around $9.5 million for 2021-22. Unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of difference-making free agents willing to sign for that price.

And, point me to any social media or other statements from either Beal or Westbrook lauding the hire of Wes Unseld Jr. last week. (If I missed something, I apologize.) You all know I think Unseld has a chance to be a great head coach, but I also understand that Beal and Westbrook may not want to wait another year or two while he gets his sea legs. I think the best version of Unseld is with a core group of young guys, learning and getting better together.

A Beal trade would almost certainly also necessitate moving Westbrook. The only reason Westbrook made sense for Wall was that he would play next to Beal, and that new backcourt was worth taking a look at to see what it could do. Well, now we know. Yes, the Wizards were affected by COVID-19 as badly as any team, and they lost Bryant early. But no team was unscathed last season. At best, even with a healthy Beal and Westbrook, Washington’s … what? A six seed in the East? Westbrook, alone, on a rebuilding team, makes zero sense. Dealing him and his huge contract would mean taking a bad contract, maybe two, back in return. That’s life in the big city.

I don’t mean to still be a noodge on this. But at some point, this franchise has to start aiming higher than making the playoffs and seeing what happens. It has to be willing to bite the bullet, endure a really bad year or two and stop kicking the can down the road, to improve its chances at a Luka Doncic or a Ja Morant or a Trae Young. This fan base has waited a ridiculously long time — 40-plus years — for a legit, long-lasting contender. And during those four decades, it’s continued to pay top dollar to watch far less than that, year after year.

Rebuilding won’t be pleasant or pretty, but it’s necessary.

The Nationals had to be really bad to get Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper and Anthony Rendon in consecutive first rounds from 2009-11. But those picks helped line them up for a decade of relevance, filled with playoff appearances — and, finally, a World Series title.

The Capitals had to be really bad to get Ovechkin. But taking him first overall in 2004 has made the franchise matter for the last 15 years — and, finally, got them a Stanley Cup.

The Suns and Hawks and Grizzlies bit the bullet, took their Ls over two or three years and got rewarded with young superstars in the draft. The Wizards can do the same. Everyone understands what needs to be done to have a chance at a similar, franchise-altering type of player. All they have to do is, finally, let Beal move on with his career. And they can move on with their franchise.

In “Jerry Maguire,” Dorothy overcame her doubts about her marriage and famously said to her husband at the end, “You had me at hello.”

It’s no one’s fault. It’s life. But, as happens in a lot of real marriages, it’s time for the Wizards and Beal to say goodbye.

CC Public Enemy

 

[Public Enemy]

Spoiler

Aldridge: It’s time, finally, for the Wizards and Bradley Beal to move on from each other

Someone needs to be the bad guy, for the sake of the Washington Wizards and Bradley Beal.

Neither one of them wants to publicly state what is obvious now and has been for two years: There’s no realistic path where Beal finishes his career in Washington on a Wizards team that is a true championship contender. No one doubts Beal wants to be Alex Ovechkin or Darrell Green and play his whole career here. His love for the franchise that drafted him and the city in which he’s reached adulthood is genuine. But so is his desire to play for a ring. And that can’t happen here, right now — and not likely any time soon, with Beal and Russell Westbrook making a combined $78 million next year and Beal in line for a 35 percent max deal in 2022 after he completes his 10th season in the league.

Old heads may remember the play and movie “Mister Roberts” about a Navy lieutenant languishing on a cargo ship in the Pacific in 1944, desperate to get to the front before the end of World War II. In a completely different vein, Beal wants to be on the big stage before the end of his prime, before he’s powerless to impact the outcomes of meaningful games.

But no one wants to be the villain.

Neither party can seem to summon up the collective will that other franchises and players have in recent years, to put their heads together and work out the best possible deal for both parties. And that’s understandable. It got messy in New Orleans when Anthony Davis forced his way to the Lakers. Jimmy Butler had similarly awkward exits from Minnesota and Philly en route to Miami. No one wants that. But it’s time to start this in motion — before Thursday’s draft, when Washington could reset so much faster by sending Beal on his way. It will require Ted Leonsis and Tommy Sheppard to step into uncomfortable discussions with Beal and his agents. But this has to happen. The timing isn’t ideal, but when you think about it, when would it be?

Beal reportedly is mulling his future. He can become an unrestricted free agent next summer, when he’d have 10 years in the league and could get a 35 percent max deal with the Wizards or anyone else. He could, of course, end all the speculation immediately, by saying, “I plan to be with the Wizards the rest of my career. I will either sign an extension with them this fall or wait until next summer and sign a max deal with them in 2022. Even if I opt to become a free agent, I will not sign with anyone else.”

But he won’t. Why on earth would he? I wouldn’t, either.

Beal’s been here since he was 19. He’s now 28. He’s given Washington nine excellent seasons, been a great steward in the community, played hurt when it mattered most. He’s been extraordinarily patient since John Wall started to break down physically, playing on bad teams while assuming a leadership role both publicly and behind the scenes for a franchise that needed it. His legacy is secure. His jersey’s going up in the rafters. But he’s not obligated to play here forever.

Golden State’s interest is real, and the Warriors have players and picks — some combination of 20-year-old center James Wiseman, veteran Andrew Wiggins, along with picks 7 and 14 in the lottery, in a deep draft — that could start a Wizards rebuild in earnest.

A Bleacher Report story claimed Toronto would be willing to talk about All-Star forward Pascal Siakam and the No. 4 overall pick Thursday for Beal, among other potential deals with other teams for other stars. If that’s true, it would be franchise malpractice not to jump on that. Yes, Siakam’s on a huge contract, and he shot less than 30 percent on 3s last season. As the Raptors’ season came apart with injuries, he did not appear suited to be a leading man.

But tell me the last Wizards forward who averaged 21.4 points, 7.2 boards and 4.5 assists in a “bad” season and made the All-Star team. That version of Siakam, just 27, is still better than any frontcourt player the Wizards have.

And the potential opportunity to not only add Siakam, but then be able to take either a Jalen Green or Jalen Suggs with the fourth pick, is not even worth debating. You do it 100 times out of 100.

Either Jalen would give Washington, for the first time in a decade, a great young backcourt talent about which its fans could dream and invest hope, like when the Wizards got Wall (2010) and Beal (2012) via the draft. Both are playmakers. Both are scorers. Both are leaders. Both know what it’s like to play with other talented young people — including with each other on USA Basketball teams. (If Detroit was wowed by Evan Mobley’s pre-draft workout and is thinking of taking the USC big at No. 1, well, that means a Suggs or Cade Cunningham could be there at No. 4.)

It’s laudable that Beal wants to be classy, the way Tim Duncan was all those years in San Antonio, when he never hinted he was unhappy but kept signing short contracts later in his career to make sure the Spurs always understood he was always paying attention — and had leverage. But they were collecting pelts in San Antonio. They aren’t anywhere close to that here.

And if Beal doesn’t think Washington can get him where he wants to go, he needs to tell them he wants to go.

Whether it’s the Warriors or the Raptors or the Sixers or the Hawks, there are any number of teams that saw how Milwaukee’s acquisition of Jrue Holiday last fall helped lift the Bucks to the promised land. Multiple teams remain who would happily take a similar flier on Washington’s two-time All-Star.

Washington’s added solid young players under Sheppard’s stewardship the last two years. Rui Hachimura showed signs of real growth in his second season. Deni Avdija was thought of as a top-five talent before last year’s draft. We all saw Daniel Gafford’s impact down the stretch last season. Thomas Bryant looked like a legit stretch five before he tore his ACL. But none of these are “wow” prospects like a Green or Suggs, or a James Bouknight, the UConn guard who is a potential Golden State target at 7. And Washington isn’t likely to secure one with the 15th pick Thursday.

The Wizards continue to say they will build a great team around Beal and Westbrook. But, how? Their pick Thursday could add a solid two-way wing, sure. But that guy’s not likely to be a difference-maker. And they still owe Houston a protected 2023 first from last year’s Westbrook trade. It won’t convey to the Rockets until it falls out of the high lottery, but that leaves Washington hamstrung for the foreseeable future when it comes to aggregating future picks in potential trades (though pick swaps, a recent team tactic, are a workaround to the Stepien Rule).

Washington is similarly limited in free agency to the non-taxpayer midlevel exception, starting at around $9.5 million for 2021-22. Unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of difference-making free agents willing to sign for that price.

And, point me to any social media or other statements from either Beal or Westbrook lauding the hire of Wes Unseld Jr. last week. (If I missed something, I apologize.) You all know I think Unseld has a chance to be a great head coach, but I also understand that Beal and Westbrook may not want to wait another year or two while he gets his sea legs. I think the best version of Unseld is with a core group of young guys, learning and getting better together.

A Beal trade would almost certainly also necessitate moving Westbrook. The only reason Westbrook made sense for Wall was that he would play next to Beal, and that new backcourt was worth taking a look at to see what it could do. Well, now we know. Yes, the Wizards were affected by COVID-19 as badly as any team, and they lost Bryant early. But no team was unscathed last season. At best, even with a healthy Beal and Westbrook, Washington’s … what? A six seed in the East? Westbrook, alone, on a rebuilding team, makes zero sense. Dealing him and his huge contract would mean taking a bad contract, maybe two, back in return. That’s life in the big city.

I don’t mean to still be a noodge on this. But at some point, this franchise has to start aiming higher than making the playoffs and seeing what happens. It has to be willing to bite the bullet, endure a really bad year or two and stop kicking the can down the road, to improve its chances at a Luka Doncic or a Ja Morant or a Trae Young. This fan base has waited a ridiculously long time — 40-plus years — for a legit, long-lasting contender. And during those four decades, it’s continued to pay top dollar to watch far less than that, year after year.

Rebuilding won’t be pleasant or pretty, but it’s necessary.

The Nationals had to be really bad to get Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper and Anthony Rendon in consecutive first rounds from 2009-11. But those picks helped line them up for a decade of relevance, filled with playoff appearances — and, finally, a World Series title.

The Capitals had to be really bad to get Ovechkin. But taking him first overall in 2004 has made the franchise matter for the last 15 years — and, finally, got them a Stanley Cup.

The Suns and Hawks and Grizzlies bit the bullet, took their Ls over two or three years and got rewarded with young superstars in the draft. The Wizards can do the same. Everyone understands what needs to be done to have a chance at a similar, franchise-altering type of player. All they have to do is, finally, let Beal move on with his career. And they can move on with their franchise.

In “Jerry Maguire,” Dorothy overcame her doubts about her marriage and famously said to her husband at the end, “You had me at hello.”

It’s no one’s fault. It’s life. But, as happens in a lot of real marriages, it’s time for the Wizards and Beal to say goodbye.

CC Public Enemy

Thank you!!

 

[mrtarheel]

Spoiler

Aldridge: It’s time, finally, for the Wizards and Bradley Beal to move on from each other

Someone needs to be the bad guy, for the sake of the Washington Wizards and Bradley Beal.

Neither one of them wants to publicly state what is obvious now and has been for two years: There’s no realistic path where Beal finishes his career in Washington on a Wizards team that is a true championship contender. No one doubts Beal wants to be Alex Ovechkin or Darrell Green and play his whole career here. His love for the franchise that drafted him and the city in which he’s reached adulthood is genuine. But so is his desire to play for a ring. And that can’t happen here, right now — and not likely any time soon, with Beal and Russell Westbrook making a combined $78 million next year and Beal in line for a 35 percent max deal in 2022 after he completes his 10th season in the league.

Old heads may remember the play and movie “Mister Roberts” about a Navy lieutenant languishing on a cargo ship in the Pacific in 1944, desperate to get to the front before the end of World War II. In a completely different vein, Beal wants to be on the big stage before the end of his prime, before he’s powerless to impact the outcomes of meaningful games.

But no one wants to be the villain.

Neither party can seem to summon up the collective will that other franchises and players have in recent years, to put their heads together and work out the best possible deal for both parties. And that’s understandable. It got messy in New Orleans when Anthony Davis forced his way to the Lakers. Jimmy Butler had similarly awkward exits from Minnesota and Philly en route to Miami. No one wants that. But it’s time to start this in motion — before Thursday’s draft, when Washington could reset so much faster by sending Beal on his way. It will require Ted Leonsis and Tommy Sheppard to step into uncomfortable discussions with Beal and his agents. But this has to happen. The timing isn’t ideal, but when you think about it, when would it be?

Beal reportedly is mulling his future. He can become an unrestricted free agent next summer, when he’d have 10 years in the league and could get a 35 percent max deal with the Wizards or anyone else. He could, of course, end all the speculation immediately, by saying, “I plan to be with the Wizards the rest of my career. I will either sign an extension with them this fall or wait until next summer and sign a max deal with them in 2022. Even if I opt to become a free agent, I will not sign with anyone else.”

But he won’t. Why on earth would he? I wouldn’t, either.

Beal’s been here since he was 19. He’s now 28. He’s given Washington nine excellent seasons, been a great steward in the community, played hurt when it mattered most. He’s been extraordinarily patient since John Wall started to break down physically, playing on bad teams while assuming a leadership role both publicly and behind the scenes for a franchise that needed it. His legacy is secure. His jersey’s going up in the rafters. But he’s not obligated to play here forever.

Golden State’s interest is real, and the Warriors have players and picks — some combination of 20-year-old center James Wiseman, veteran Andrew Wiggins, along with picks 7 and 14 in the lottery, in a deep draft — that could start a Wizards rebuild in earnest.

A Bleacher Report story claimed Toronto would be willing to talk about All-Star forward Pascal Siakam and the No. 4 overall pick Thursday for Beal, among other potential deals with other teams for other stars. If that’s true, it would be franchise malpractice not to jump on that. Yes, Siakam’s on a huge contract, and he shot less than 30 percent on 3s last season. As the Raptors’ season came apart with injuries, he did not appear suited to be a leading man.

But tell me the last Wizards forward who averaged 21.4 points, 7.2 boards and 4.5 assists in a “bad” season and made the All-Star team. That version of Siakam, just 27, is still better than any frontcourt player the Wizards have.

And the potential opportunity to not only add Siakam, but then be able to take either a Jalen Green or Jalen Suggs with the fourth pick, is not even worth debating. You do it 100 times out of 100.

Either Jalen would give Washington, for the first time in a decade, a great young backcourt talent about which its fans could dream and invest hope, like when the Wizards got Wall (2010) and Beal (2012) via the draft. Both are playmakers. Both are scorers. Both are leaders. Both know what it’s like to play with other talented young people — including with each other on USA Basketball teams. (If Detroit was wowed by Evan Mobley’s pre-draft workout and is thinking of taking the USC big at No. 1, well, that means a Suggs or Cade Cunningham could be there at No. 4.)

It’s laudable that Beal wants to be classy, the way Tim Duncan was all those years in San Antonio, when he never hinted he was unhappy but kept signing short contracts later in his career to make sure the Spurs always understood he was always paying attention — and had leverage. But they were collecting pelts in San Antonio. They aren’t anywhere close to that here.

And if Beal doesn’t think Washington can get him where he wants to go, he needs to tell them he wants to go.

Whether it’s the Warriors or the Raptors or the Sixers or the Hawks, there are any number of teams that saw how Milwaukee’s acquisition of Jrue Holiday last fall helped lift the Bucks to the promised land. Multiple teams remain who would happily take a similar flier on Washington’s two-time All-Star.

Washington’s added solid young players under Sheppard’s stewardship the last two years. Rui Hachimura showed signs of real growth in his second season. Deni Avdija was thought of as a top-five talent before last year’s draft. We all saw Daniel Gafford’s impact down the stretch last season. Thomas Bryant looked like a legit stretch five before he tore his ACL. But none of these are “wow” prospects like a Green or Suggs, or a James Bouknight, the UConn guard who is a potential Golden State target at 7. And Washington isn’t likely to secure one with the 15th pick Thursday.

The Wizards continue to say they will build a great team around Beal and Westbrook. But, how? Their pick Thursday could add a solid two-way wing, sure. But that guy’s not likely to be a difference-maker. And they still owe Houston a protected 2023 first from last year’s Westbrook trade. It won’t convey to the Rockets until it falls out of the high lottery, but that leaves Washington hamstrung for the foreseeable future when it comes to aggregating future picks in potential trades (though pick swaps, a recent team tactic, are a workaround to the Stepien Rule).

Washington is similarly limited in free agency to the non-taxpayer midlevel exception, starting at around $9.5 million for 2021-22. Unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of difference-making free agents willing to sign for that price.

And, point me to any social media or other statements from either Beal or Westbrook lauding the hire of Wes Unseld Jr. last week. (If I missed something, I apologize.) You all know I think Unseld has a chance to be a great head coach, but I also understand that Beal and Westbrook may not want to wait another year or two while he gets his sea legs. I think the best version of Unseld is with a core group of young guys, learning and getting better together.

A Beal trade would almost certainly also necessitate moving Westbrook. The only reason Westbrook made sense for Wall was that he would play next to Beal, and that new backcourt was worth taking a look at to see what it could do. Well, now we know. Yes, the Wizards were affected by COVID-19 as badly as any team, and they lost Bryant early. But no team was unscathed last season. At best, even with a healthy Beal and Westbrook, Washington’s … what? A six seed in the East? Westbrook, alone, on a rebuilding team, makes zero sense. Dealing him and his huge contract would mean taking a bad contract, maybe two, back in return. That’s life in the big city.

I don’t mean to still be a noodge on this. But at some point, this franchise has to start aiming higher than making the playoffs and seeing what happens. It has to be willing to bite the bullet, endure a really bad year or two and stop kicking the can down the road, to improve its chances at a Luka Doncic or a Ja Morant or a Trae Young. This fan base has waited a ridiculously long time — 40-plus years — for a legit, long-lasting contender. And during those four decades, it’s continued to pay top dollar to watch far less than that, year after year.

Rebuilding won’t be pleasant or pretty, but it’s necessary.

The Nationals had to be really bad to get Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper and Anthony Rendon in consecutive first rounds from 2009-11. But those picks helped line them up for a decade of relevance, filled with playoff appearances — and, finally, a World Series title.

The Capitals had to be really bad to get Ovechkin. But taking him first overall in 2004 has made the franchise matter for the last 15 years — and, finally, got them a Stanley Cup.

The Suns and Hawks and Grizzlies bit the bullet, took their Ls over two or three years and got rewarded with young superstars in the draft. The Wizards can do the same. Everyone understands what needs to be done to have a chance at a similar, franchise-altering type of player. All they have to do is, finally, let Beal move on with his career. And they can move on with their franchise.

In “Jerry Maguire,” Dorothy overcame her doubts about her marriage and famously said to her husband at the end, “You had me at hello.”

It’s no one’s fault. It’s life. But, as happens in a lot of real marriages, it’s time for the Wizards and Beal to say goodbye.

CC Public Enemy

lets go trade em! and rebuild correctly

 

[VARNELL HILL]

Would love if Beal and Westbrook were both outta here by Thursday night

 

[frshstunna]

Would love if Beal and Westbrook were both outta here by Thursday night

Knowing the Wiz none of that will happen and they’ll just draft 30 year old Duarte

 

[Public Enemy]

 

[mrtarheel]

Bertans SF
Hachimura SF
Kuzma SF
Avdija SF
Corey Kispert SF
What are we doing

 

[aepps20]

Small Forward U and I'm all for it. Very proud to be a fan of the Wizards. Real Deal Beal and squad will surprise folks next season.