NBC Sports’ Dan Feldman is grading every team’s offseason based on where the team stands now relative to its position entering the offseason. A ‘C’ means a team is in similar standing, with notches up or down from there.
They should have traded Bradley Beal.
I’m reluctant to declare whether a team should or shouldn’t trade a player. It depends on so many factors outsiders don’t know. Mainly, what are other teams offering (or demanding in salary dumps)? The return (or cost in salary dumps) is essential to any trade evaluation.
But the Wizards should have traded Bradley Beal.
Beal is a young star locked up two more seasons and plays a position, shooting guard, in demand around the league. Look at the astronomical returns Anthony Davis and Paul George generated for the Pelicans and Thunder. It’s hard to believe Beal wouldn’t have fetched something similar.
Of course, Washington would like to build around Beal. Right now, he’s saying all the right things about staying.
But the Wizards will likely stink next season. After living through that experience, will Beal actually want to stay long-term? I would’ve rather traded him this summer with an additional season on his contract than wait to find out.
That was never in the cards, especially because Washington went through key portions of the offseason without a permanent front-office leader. That was a failure of Wizards owner Ted Leonsis. He fired Ernie Grunfeld in April and didn’t remove Tommy Sheppard’s interim title until mid-July, once free agency had quieted. This is a 365-day-a-year job. Washington missed opportunities.
Sheppard’s big move was drafting Rui Hachimura No. 9. I rated Hachimura No. 25 on my board. That could just be a difference of opinion. But I fear the Sheppard – unsure of his long-term status – gravitated toward the player with major marketing upside. If Hachimura struggles, it won’t matter that he’s Japanese.
Sheppard also re-signed Thomas Bryant (three years, $25 million) and sold that as a key step in keeping Beal. An enthusiastic young player, Bryant definitely helped Washington last season. But c’mon. He’s still Thomas Bryant.
Otherwise, the Wizards lost several rotation players via free agency – Trevor Ariza, Bobby Portis, Jabari Parker, Jeff Green and Tomas Satoransky (sign-and-traded to the Bulls for two second-rounders). That was tough on a team with limited mechanisms to add outside players. With John Wall’s high salary serving as a major block, Washington was capped out.
The Wizards had to get creative to form even this barely tolerable roster.
They used most of their mid-level exception on Ish Smith (two years, $12 million). He should be fine as a stop-gap starting point guard. However, I suspect many of contributions will come just through his professionalism amid a losing season.
Washington got Davis Bertans from the Spurs, who unloaded his salary before Marcus Morris reneged on San Antonio. The Wizards also dealt Dwight Howard for the more-functional, but slightly higher-paid C.J. Miles.
Isaiah Thomas was a worthy bet at the minimum, but hope is fading of him bouncing back. He’s already hurt again.
Washington jumped into the Anthony Davis trade when the Lakers wanted to clear cap space for a run at Kawhi Leonard. The Wizards got a second-rounder for taking Moritz Wagner, Isaac Bonga and Jemerrio Jones. Washington got another young prospect, No. 42 pick Admiral Schofield, for effectively taking $1 million of dead salary from the 76ers.
These new veterans likely aren’t good enough to get the Wizards anywhere. The new young players carry only limited promise.
Washington’s short- and long-term hopes rest mostly on Beal – as long as he accepts that burden.
Offseason grade: D+
