Sato at PG

[nate33]

What are the chances you think he's back?

90%

He's restricted. I think the Wizards will grudgingly pay up to the MLE to retain him. (They'll try to sign him for less, though.)

The only way he departs is if some under the cap team offers more than the MLE. And I don't think that is likely for a 3rd tier free agent like Sato. You don't go through all of the effort to get under the cap just to sign a guy who is best suited to be a 3rd guard on a good team.

[payitforward]

Agreed. The only variable you don't mention is that, given Tommy/Ted clearly have decided they can rebuild around Beal, they may view Brad's age (he turns 26 Monday) as the outside limit for someone they regard as "strategic" -- i.e. someone they think will still be in his prime once the team has become good again.

That doesn't mean Tommy wouldn't re-sign Satoransky. We won't want to be egregiously awful. But it might cause there to be a lower cap than we might think on what they're willing to pay, which might open a window for some other team.

I don't think that, even if true, this makes it all that likely we lose him. But it's worth looking at how they handle Satoransky for a clue as to the team's overall strategy.