Washington early offseason in review (HW/bondom34/dbrandon/nate33)

[Mr. E]

They are in a place where just the right trade could make them click as a team. The problem is, I don't see what the trade would be.

I agree on the idea of matching a Beal deal rather than giving him the full max. Was that a statement to the players that the team was committed to them?

As of right now I think that they are still a playoff team, but I'm not seeing the forward direction at this point.

[Slava]

Even if Beal plays 40 games a season for the next 4 years, he would get a max offer sheet on his next contact. So this argument that they should have matched an offer sheet is a bit pointless.

When you know the caliber of a player, you get him locked up for as many years as you possibly can and think about options including a trade later.

[Mr. E]

That's right - no one else could have given him the 5th year. Didn't think of that.

[bigmean]

i gave them a B+, here why they addressed there three biggest needs in my opinion Backup point guard, overall front court depth and need for developmental playing time for Oubre/Porter. I think they are 8th seed, if they make the playoffs then warrants that grade easily. I also think at some point are going to yield something of value for Gortat and Or Oubre

Deal 1
Gortat/Oubre for Trevor Arizia, Montrell Harzell, Kj Mcdaniels

Deal 2
Gortat/Oubre for Nikola Pekovic/Shabazz Muhammed

Deal 3
Gortat/Oubre for Tony Allen, Vince Carter, Brandon wright



I also am very bullish about Scottie Brooks as coach

[deneem4]

If it Otto Beal and oubre can have a solid 2 way season... we can be top 5 team in b the east...regardless we're going to make the playoffs...

[wise1-2]

i gave them a B+, here why they addressed there three biggest needs in my opinion Backup point guard, overall front court depth and need for developmental playing time for Oubre/Porter. I think they are 8th seed, if they make the playoffs then warrants that grade easily. I also think at some point are going to yield something of value for Gortat and Or Oubre

Deal 1
Gortat/Oubre for Trevor Arizia, Montrell Harzell, Kj Mcdaniels

Deal 2
Gortat/Oubre for Nikola Pekovic/Shabazz Muhammed

Deal 3
Gortat/Oubre for Tony Allen, Vince Carter, Brandon wright



I also am very bullish about Scottie Brooks as coach

Those deals are terrible for the wizards. Gortat is still is still a starter and oubre is a nice prospect.

[watpho71]

Same starters. New second unit. Mahinmi signing is upgrade from Nene. Oubre looks improved. Stretch fours is what Wall wanted last season and now they have Morris and Nicholson. Jason Smith gives them plenty of depth up front. Not sure if they have a go to guy off the bench, but at least they brought in some new blood (including Coach Brooks) to improve on last season. It will be a challenge making the playoffs in a much improved Eastern Conference, but I think they can do it.

[DANNYLANDOVER]

Gave it a D, enjoy the treadmill.

What they should have done was let Beal go, bottomed out for a year, and made a big splash in FA next year. But, this is what teams do.

THANK YOU! Would've guaranteed that the idiot of a GM would finally be gone too. One can only wish

[Illmatic12]

I gave a 'B' here. No it wasn't a dream offseason .. But I think the Wizards did fine given the circumstances and the market.


First off - after all the buildup, they didn't get a meeting with Kevin Durant, which seemed like a letdown for a lot of fans (not myself particularly, but many casual fans and so on). But Durant clearly had his mind set he was going to Golden State all along. Ultimately, I think his camp did the Wizards front office a favor by not wasting their time/resources doing the FA meeting song-and-dance.


Secondly - I'm optimistic about the Scott Brooks hire, and I think people are really underrating how badly Wittman was holding the team back. There were numerous reports that he had long since lost the locker room, and not only was the head coach a lameduck but WAS entire coaching staff was said to be one of the worst in the league. If the team managed back-to-back playoff appearances under Wittman, I'm excited to see what Brooks and his new staff can do.


I like the Mahinmi signing, he's a reliable starting-quality big and allows the Wiz to keep Gortat's minutes down (or even make him expendable for the right deal).

Nicholson was an under-the-radar pickup who I liked previously, he's just entering his prime years and is a versatile scorer who can post up + shoot threes. He struggled defensively in ORL, but pairing him next to Mahinmi should be a good complement. To me it was a no-brainer to drop Dudley for Nicholson

Washington couldn't afford to retain Sessions, but Burke is a young buy-low candidate who can benefit from the change of scenery.
Tomas Satoransky - a 24yo guard coming over from FC Barcelona, was one of the most NBA-ready players who wasn't actually in the NBA. Signing him for 3yrs/$9m could end up being a steal. As a 6'7 PG who's athletic and can shoot, he can give the Wizards a lot of lineup versatility.


What I would have liked to see - more focus on wing depth. If Porter misses any time, the Wiz are really thin there. Someone like Gerald Henderson or Lance Thomas would've been a good look. I liked the idea of going after some affordable young wing players like Mo Harkless or Solomon Hill, but they ended up getting way more money than I expected. It seems like Washington will just have to take a flyer on one of the free agent wings they invite to training camp, probably Danuel House from Texas A&M.

[Illmatic12]

They are in a very bad spot as a franchise. You have a top 10 PG in Wall, and I would think him and Gortat would make a great combo on the P&R along with Beal, but that isn't going to win any playoff games by itself. They have great frontcourt depth, but Wall isn't a good enough #1 option and the team around him isn't filled with 3+D players, which it should be to get the most out of Wall.
I didn't understand the trade during the season and I don't really unterstand getting this much frontcourt depth for 25+ Million per year. I mean, Minnesota got Hill/Collison for a fraction of that cost.
I give this off-season a D because I am happy with my coffee this morning.

The team has already won playoff games though. With one of the worst NBA coaches in recent memory, for that matter.

Now their young core is more seasoned, and they have a better coaching staff around them. I don't actually see how they're in a 'very bad' spot relative to the other 29 teams, that seems like a bit too much hyperbole.

There are some question marks. But just based on improved health + coaching alone, I could see the Wiz back in the playoffs and another second round appearance.

[Colbinii]

They are in a very bad spot as a franchise. You have a top 10 PG in Wall, and I would think him and Gortat would make a great combo on the P&R along with Beal, but that isn't going to win any playoff games by itself. They have great frontcourt depth, but Wall isn't a good enough #1 option and the team around him isn't filled with 3+D players, which it should be to get the most out of Wall.
I didn't understand the trade during the season and I don't really unterstand getting this much frontcourt depth for 25+ Million per year. I mean, Minnesota got Hill/Collison for a fraction of that cost.
I give this off-season a D because I am happy with my coffee this morning.

The team has already won playoff games though. With one of the worst NBA coaches in recent memory, for that matter.

Now their young core is more seasoned, and they have a better coaching staff around them. I don't actually see how they're in a 'very bad' spot relative to the other 29 teams, that seems like a bit too much hyperbole.

There are some question marks. But just based on improved health + coaching alone, I could see the Wiz back in the playoffs and another second round appearance.

I will admit I was probably a bit too harsh on them. I do think they are better than a lot of the up and coming teams (Milwaukee, Magic).

[Illmatic12]

They are in a very bad spot as a franchise. You have a top 10 PG in Wall, and I would think him and Gortat would make a great combo on the P&R along with Beal, but that isn't going to win any playoff games by itself. They have great frontcourt depth, but Wall isn't a good enough #1 option and the team around him isn't filled with 3+D players, which it should be to get the most out of Wall.
I didn't understand the trade during the season and I don't really unterstand getting this much frontcourt depth for 25+ Million per year. I mean, Minnesota got Hill/Collison for a fraction of that cost.
I give this off-season a D because I am happy with my coffee this morning.

The team has already won playoff games though. With one of the worst NBA coaches in recent memory, for that matter.

Now their young core is more seasoned, and they have a better coaching staff around them. I don't actually see how they're in a 'very bad' spot relative to the other 29 teams, that seems like a bit too much hyperbole.

There are some question marks. But just based on improved health + coaching alone, I could see the Wiz back in the playoffs and another second round appearance.

I will admit I was probably a bit too harsh on them. I do think they are better than a lot of the up and coming teams (Milwaukee, Magic).

Well, us Wiz fans are harsh on ourselves as well
It's always a wait-and-see approach with this team, but with Wittman gone and Brooks bringing a new culture I have a lot more optimism for the upcoming season.