The 2016-17 season has gotten off to a nightmarish start for the Washington Wizards.
Bradley Beal is having injury issues yet again and has struggled to come anywhere close to the $128 million extension when he is on the court this season, averaging 15-2-2 on 36 percent shooting from the field and 29 percent from the free throw line with only a 13.0 Player Efficiency Rating.
Their bench (as pointed out by Marcin Gortat) is one of the worst in the league, getting outscored by 4.9 points per 48 minutes while their starters are outscored by 3 points per 48 minutes.
They are in the bottom 10 in field goal percentage, three-point field goal percentage, team scoring, point differential, assists, opposing field goal percentage, opposing three-point percentage, offensive rating assist percentage, effective field goal percentage and true shooting percentage.
The only real encouraging sign is the play of Otto Porter Jr the past few weeks and the apparent health and recovery of John Wall from his off-season knee surgery.
There appears to be some tension behind the scenes as well. The chemistry seems off with the weird dynamic of Beal making a much higher salary than Wall, Gortat clearly having an issue with the roster and some of his teammates and classic locker cancer Markeiff Morris adding to an already splintered locker room dynamic.
It is becoming pretty clear that the Wizards are in dire need to shake things up whether that means blowing it up completely and pulling off a blockbuster trade of John Wall to restock with more picks and young talent, or go all in to find another quality starter or star player to pair with Wall a-la DeMarcus Cousins.
Wall is still only 26 and unless a godfather offer is on the table with a team flush with depth and draft picks like the Boston Celtics, the Wizards should still plan their future around him with the best roster possible to maximize his strengths.
An offer of Porter, Gortat, Markeiff Morris, Tomas Satoransky and a future first round pick for DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay could be exactly what the Wizards need to infuse some more talent into their roster. It is the splashy move that could make them contenders in the east.
One check of ESPN Trade Machine proves that this trade would work as the salaries dealt would be within $2 million:
The Wizards aren’t constructed as a team that is expected or would be satisfied with toiling near the bottom of the eastern conference in order to land a high draft pick. With veterans like Wall and Gortat and the money they spent this off-season on Beal and Mahinmi, this team expects to win now and the only way they are going to do that is by making a big splash and roster shake-up.
If things continue to go south, look for the Wizards to make some big moves and look very different by the end of the 2016-17 season.
