Wizards 2019 Draft thread. (Tank for Zion, or OTHER NAME HERE)

[DCZards]

Why keep Beal? Well, doc just nailed it.

As to your question illuminaire, read the paragraph in Doc's post that begins with: "With a smart savvy creative GM..."

[Wizfanman]

I'm starting to gain interest in Jaxson Hayes. He reminds me of Rudy Gobert. Him and Bryant could make a good duo. He'd pick up on Bryants slack defense and we have enough efficient scorers to overcome Hayes's limited offense.

PG: Sato
SG: Beal
SF: Brown
PF: Hayes
C: Bryant

[WallToWall]

Trade Beal truthers: what's package do you want to trade him for? I'm not seeing much out there.

Interestingly, Lakers fans circles believe #4 + Ingram for #9 + Beal is fair swap, maybe with the wizards adding a future pick.

...and weed is legal in Cali, Just sayin'. Not that there is a correlation. And I'm not sayin' that there are aliens...but there are aliens.

[Illmatic12]

Spoiler:

If Beal had 4 more years on his deal, it would be different. I'd be all about keeping him. But he's gone in two years.

What if he's not.

I don't think we can definitively say what Brad will and won't do. He's family oriented, apparently likes it here and has an opportunity to help craft a franchise to his liking. The team is definitively being built around him. He says he is interested in retiring a Wizard. What if he sees this team not just as a means for a lucrative playing career but with front office and other opportunities after his days are over.

Bradley Beal owns and manages an AAU team. He has played in international ball since he was 16. He's a lifer in this game. I take him at his word when he says a SuperMax contract and money are not the only considerations for him. Wins are part of it, but loyalty and family feel and long range opportunities are in his future as well.

Can we build a team during his peak? Absolutely. Since he changed his diet he has remade his body and generally improved his game even as his usage increased. Players like Troy Brown and Thomas Bryant cite his leadership and teaching and positivity in this lost year as major factors in their improvement and helping them become better professionals. Lotto prospect Darius Garland played on his squad and looks to him as a mentor.

Brad has said he is interested in the direction of the franchise. Firing Ernie was key. After that I suspect much depends on the outlook and mindset the incoming GM carries. Ted wants to look at best practices. All signs in basketball point to San Antonio when it comes to best practices. They allow employees at all levels to have input and give insight and direction. And subsequently players learn about coaching and are given insight to front office work. So many high calibre coaches come from the leadership training program that is San Antonio. If Ted manages to follow best practices then Beal is here as the foundation player spearheading the direction of the squad. And he in all likelihood will have a place for him at any part of the organization: coaching staff, front office, wherever he wants. If Leonsis had one great flaw with Ernie it was the thing that makes us a desirable place to work for GM candidates: loyalty.

The thing is Beal is an ideal player around which to build any kind of team, and a great player to mentor incoming youth. He is a coach on the floor and has been since college. Ask Billy Donovan who tabbed him as a leader despite him being the youngest kid on that Florida squad. And nowadays fielding a youthful team that learns as they struggle but puts up decent wins does not rob you of top draft picks. Suck to get lucky is not the sure thing it once was. Might as well try to win even if you are sure to fall short. At least you teach the right competitive attitude. Even this year we had a 10% chance to get a franchise turning player. And were leapfrogged by a team behind us with a worse chance. But even if you load up on youth, that does not guarantee more than prolonged growing pains. The adage on developing talent is: first you win then you get good.

We have seen kindergarten core teams struggle mightily and rarely do they all mature at the same time or on the same team. You do need some guidance on the bench an din the locker room as well as on the floor. Brad may not be good enough to carry us to a championship. But he can fit next to any kind of player and exemplifies how to do all the little things to help a team win and carried himself and his team this year with enough dignity and calm in tough situations that he deserves a great deal of credit for the team maintaining a serious attitude and positive growth for the youngsters.

The only path forward that provides reasonable hope for sustainable long-term success requires rebuilding, and the most effective way of rebuilding is to sell as high as possible on Beal.

I don't think Brad on a short contract coming off a losing year is selling as high as possible. If he has asked out then okay his value would tank. But he hasn't. Injuries happen. We amputated the gangrenous GM and Brad seems happy about that. He clearly had issues with Ernie.

I feel like Beal's best Ball is ahead of him. He is improving significantly while carrying a heavier and heavier load. Development suggests Brad on a re-signed contract --even a high dollar one-- will earn his contract and be a much better player then he is now. That Brad will attract better offers later than he will right now when every article about our team suggests we may *have* to trade him.

No. We don't. His value here is far higher than a handful of draft picks. Yes we need youth and development and yes we will suck for a bit. But panicking and dumping Brad is not a sell-high maneuver. I'm willing to bet on him. And I'm also intrigued by what a smart GM on a tapped out team could get from Howard's expiring contract at the all-star break. We have few assets but we do have one thing most teams don't: an owner who is generous.

Ted has shown a willingness to dip into the lux tax on a mediocre team. We will overpay for crap talent. We will overpay for just-okay coaches. So long as he can play do-si-do with the repeater tax I can see him willing to bear the burden of John Wall's injury anchor and still add talent. Especially since insurance will be paying 80% of the contract for Wall to rehab.

With a smart savvy creative GM who is given rein to remake the franchise top-to-bottom and is given access to Ted's (and Powell-Job's) deep pockets. I think some interesting and creative things can be done to push this team in the right direction. Even while carrying the burden of retaining a high caliber young player who has 10 more years of productive play and positive leadership and upward development ahead of him.

Consider also Ted has aims on sports gambling, and that money has not yet flooded the market and raised the boats of all franchises. You can panic about the salary cap right now, but you have no idea what that money will mean to future years caps.
We are anxious about Wall's contract because he blew a rod with an injury. But commonly it happens when you lock in an allstar player to a long term contract you look back and realize you had a player for a relative bargain. I'm not too worried about Brad earning his money. His game at least is headed in the right direction. And I get the feeling he will be a great player to carry young players with him.

This said it perfectly , +1

You know, if anyone goes back to my earlier posts I was actually in the "trade Beal now!" crowd early in the year when the consternation and mediastorm first came up at the beginning of the season. I bought into all the "reports" about him demanding a trade , which turned out to be false

Spoiler:

Btw .. looking back now and connecting the dots, it's fairly obvious what happened - those nimrods in the Lakers front office were the ones who stirred up those false reports in order to create chaos. It's a common tactic used by rival execs and agents , but the Lakers are a clownshow and it is so transparent when their fingerprints are all over a leak. Their initial plan to get a star teammate for Lebron had failed because PG stayed in OKC. They were hoping Wash would become overwhelmed by inner turmoil and blow it up so either Wall or Beal would shake free in a trade (if we're to believe what Kevin Broom reported, Wall was the initial target until his injury), and when that didn't work they reached out to Rich Paul to orchestrate the Anthony Davis situation.. which they also botched like idiots

But the way Brad has carried himself throughout this past season has really opened my eyes and shown me the value he actually has to the franchise and city. Not only that he's an incredibly talented and hardworking player, but he seems to be a calming presence in the midst of a storm and someone that younger players can look up to. I don't think Thomas Bryant or Troy Brown Jr would have developed as much last season without Brad's leadership, something that a lot of players genuinely expressed as being a silver lining to the season. I firmly believe he is one of those players who can stabilize a franchise for many years, not just through their talent but also character and intangibles on and off the court, and as a positive role model for fans also.

For some reason, I see parallel's between Beal's situation and Paul Pierce in the 2000s. Outside of a few playoff moments, it never seemed like Boston was going anywhere with Pierce - he made them too good to outright tank, but not good enough to truly compete. Paul Pierce never won more than 49 games in a season until his age 30 season (sound familiar?)..in the first 9 seasons of his career, the Celtics finished with an above .500 record only THREE out of those 9 seasons. They had numerous chances to trade Paul, it just made too much sense at the time for a team going nowhere. If anyone remembers Bill Simmons used to write those Sports Guy columns for ESPN.com and he advocated for the Celtics trading Pierce almost on a weekly basis. But for some reason, the Celtics stuck with Pierce and Pierce stuck with the Celtics. And eventually in the back half of his career the stars aligned and they were able to do something really special in Boston. Now he's remembered as a club legend and 1st ballot HOF (granted, his post-retirement TV career isn't going nearly as well but we'll ignore that..)


When I think back on Pierce, he was never the best player in the league like say a Kobe, never the flashiest player like your Vince Carter's or McGrady's. But he was always a consistent and steady presence, the man came out and produced every season, great playoff performer, very durable, and he ultimately outlasted many of his peers. I believe Bradley Beal can be that guy for the Wizards franchise - and that's not to say we'll magically make some trades and win a championship with him, but I'm confident that if we keep him for the long haul we will eventually see the payoff. Even if it's not until 2023 or whenever, I'm down to ride this thing out with Beal, our draft picks, and Tim Connelly + Tommy Sheppard and see where it goes.

[gambitx777]

Trade Beal truthers: what's package do you want to trade him for? I'm not seeing much out there.

Interestingly, Lakers fans circles believe #4 + Ingram for #9 + Beal is fair swap, maybe with the wizards adding a future pick.

...and weed is legal in Cali, Just sayin'. Not that there is a correlation. And I'm not sayin' that there are aliens...but there are aliens.

Ingram has a potential blood clot issue, no gm is touching him. Ball has injury issues. UNless it is #4 and kuzma flat out for beal. No thank you. Beal has two years left on his deal and He has the super max offer coming that he might very well take if we offer it to him. Including our pick and offering us only ingram and the number 4 is an insulting offer. beal is very well the second best player available on the trade market right now if he is in fact available.

[Illmatic12]

Jonathan Givony suggests Wizards might be intrigued by Bol or Doumbouya at #9 (also says reports of Bol's attitude have been more positive lately, not sure how much I buy that):

“I think Bol is really interesting,” Givony said. “If he didn’t get hurt I think we’d be talking about him in that top four group."

Bol averaged 21.0 points. 9.6 rebounds and shot 52 percent from beyond the arc before suffering the season-ending injury after nine games.

“Offensively the upside may be the highest in the draft. How often can you find a guy who is 7-foot-2, can shoot threes, pass it, has amazing touch, can move the way he does and block shots? The guy’s talent is unreal,” Givony gushed. “Maybe that’s the guy you take at nine and (think) if things would have worked out differently for him he’s’ a top four pick.”

For this potential reward comes sizeable risk. While Bol measured a 7-foot-7 wingspan at the Combine according to ESPN, he weighed a mere 208 pounds after tipping the scales around 225-230 pre-injury. Powerful NBA big men would push Bol around even at the higher weight.

Other concerns exist with Bol’s attitude and passion. Or at least they did entering college. One NBA scout told NBC Sports Washington,“[Bol] was considered a bad kid, entitled. I didn’t want anything to do with him.” That specific source suggested the desired turnaround occurred during the season. Givony concurred.

“[Desire] was a definite knock on him going into college, but I’ve heard he’s made major strides in that area this year,” Givony said.

Evaluating Sekou Doumbouya, the youngest prospect in the 2019 class, presents different challenges -- and potential.

The 6-foot-9 forward from Guinea plays professionally in France’s top league. Maturity in multiple ways is a question mark for the 210-pound, 18-year-old old, but Givony sees a prospect worthy of lottery consideration. Givony slotted Doumbouya to Washington in his first post-lottery draft.

“I think he makes a lot of sense (for the Wizards),” Givony said. “What he’s doing in France, it’s not what (Mavericks rookie) Luka Doncic did in Real Madrid, but it’s very, very rare. He’s starting, he’s productive. He’s making shots. He’s guarding everybody. He’s their best defender. He’s athletic. He’s long. He’s multi-positional. His shooting has made significant strides. He’s what the NBA is looking for these days, that wing forward type. Can guard everywhere, make a three. Athletic, has a great frame. I’d be shocked if he wasn’t one of the players the Wizards looked at."

Doumbouya did not attend this week’s Combine. Don’t fret. There’s a good chance the Wizards have a thick file on the kid thanks to Tommy Sheppard’s relentless scouting.

“There’s not an executive I see on the road more than [Tommy] throughout the year, especially this year," Givony said. “He’s prepared for this.”

https://www.nbcsports.com/washington/wizards/nba-draft-insider-sees-viable-risk-reward-options-wizards-no-9

[deneem4]

In no particular order...

Doumbouya
Bol bol
McDaniel’s
Massey
J. Porter
Hachimura

Should be our candidates...

[Mizerooskie]

Why keep Beal? Well, doc just nailed it.

As to your question illuminaire, read the paragraph in Doc's post that begins with: "With a smart savvy creative GM..."

Doc made a very thoughtful post, with some good points, particularly about Beal's leadership. If you can sign him to a five year extension, then sure, he can be a piece to build around. Given what he said about the organization last season, I'm doubtful.

I think it's imperative that a new GM is brought in with some lead time before the draft. His first priority should be getting a good feel from Beal whether or not he'll extend. If he won't or won't give an indication that he will, you've got to at least consider offers for him at the draft (No, I am NOT saying you have to trade him then, but it's possible the right deal is presented at that point).

What would a smart, savvy, creative GM do to solve the Wall situation? The paragraph was thin on specifics. It's the worst contract in the league, probably the worst max contract ever. I don't think it's movable.

[Mizerooskie]

Trade Beal truthers: what's package do you want to trade him for? I'm not seeing much out there.

Interestingly, Lakers fans circles believe #4 + Ingram for #9 + Beal is fair swap, maybe with the wizards adding a future pick.

If Memphis takes Barrett, I'd trade Beal to the Knicks for a player, #3 and the two future Dallas picks. Ja Morant would be a heck of a piece to start the rebuild.

No offers that attractive? Wait it out. Beal will be massively sought after.

[payitforward]

...UNless it is #4 and kuzma flat out for beal. No thank you....

Kuzma is a potential journeyman at best. I wouldn't consider that trade.

[payitforward]

If Memphis takes Barrett, I'd trade Beal to the Knicks for a player, #3 and the two future Dallas picks....

No kidding? Would you?

& if the player were a mere round 2 guy like, say, Mitchell Robinson? Would you still do it?

You would? Duh!!!

[nate33]

But the way Brad has carried himself throughout this past season has really opened my eyes and shown me the value he actually has to the franchise and city. Not only that he's an incredibly talented and hardworking player, but he seems to be a calming presence in the midst of a storm and someone that younger players can look up to. I don't think Thomas Bryant or Troy Brown Jr would have developed as much last season without Brad's leadership, something that a lot of players genuinely expressed as being a silver lining to the season. I firmly believe he is one of those players who can stabilize a franchise for many years, not just through their talent but also character and intangibles on and off the court, and as a positive role model for fans also.

I agree wholeheartedly. I'm really impressed with Beal's leadership and I think now that it's his team and not Wall's we will see more professionalism and consistency from the team overall. I really think Beal can do for the Wizards what Lillard has done for Portland.

Also, I don't think we have seen peak Beal just yet. Beal was remarkable this year and posted some of his best numbers ever, but he did so while shooting the worst he ever has from 3-point range. I see no reason why he can't repeat last year's statistical performance, but shoot 39% from 3-point range instead of 35%. That would add another point to his scoring average and lift his TS% to .603. I'm not convinced that we can't win with Beal as our best player. Here's a list of players in the shot clock era who averaged 25, 5 and 5 with a TS% north of .600:

Spoiler:

Jordan
Lebron
Harden
Durant
Curry
Bird
Giannis

That's it.

Finally, it seems like all the arguments to trade Beal rest on the belief that he will leave in 2 years. I think that's highly unlikely. Top tier free agents in their prime honestly don't switch teams that often. Other than the formation of the superteam in Miami (in which they all took pay cuts), a superstar in his prime (under 29 years old) has departed via free agency only once: Durant to OKC. Sometimes older guys leave (Lebron to LA, Chris Paul to Houston), but that only happens after a player's 3rd contract. We will see what happens with Kawhi and Kyrie, but both of those situations involve weird dudes who don't seem to know how to be happy. I'm not sure if they're analogous.

Obviously, if Beal has truly expressed a desire to leave, then trades should be explored, but I'm pretty sure that Ted has a better understanding of Beal's feelings about the franchise than any of us. If Ted is reasonably confident that Beal won't bolt, then I wouldn't seek to trade him unless it's for a really impressive offer - much better than the crap offers I've seen in this thread over the last 5 pages.

As I've said before, the kind of trade I'd be looking for is Beal straight up for Simmons - a deal where we get a legit All-NBA caliber talent who is still young. Trading Beal for mid lottery picks and decent young players doesn't move the needle for me at all.

[nate33]

What would a smart, savvy, creative GM do to solve the Wall situation? The paragraph was thin on specifics. It's the worst contract in the league, probably the worst max contract ever. I don't think it's movable.

Wall's contract is immovable at the moment, but it won't always be immovable. Two years down the road, when Wall is healthy and hopefully still an above-average starter with flashes of star play, he might be movable for a shorter, bad contract belonging to a useless player - the 2021 version of Ian Mahinmi

[Rafael122]

Jonathan Givony suggests Wizards might be intrigued by Bol or Doumbouya at #9 (also says reports of Bol's attitude have been more positive lately, not sure how much I buy that):

“I think Bol is really interesting,” Givony said. “If he didn’t get hurt I think we’d be talking about him in that top four group."

Bol averaged 21.0 points. 9.6 rebounds and shot 52 percent from beyond the arc before suffering the season-ending injury after nine games.

“Offensively the upside may be the highest in the draft. How often can you find a guy who is 7-foot-2, can shoot threes, pass it, has amazing touch, can move the way he does and block shots? The guy’s talent is unreal,” Givony gushed. “Maybe that’s the guy you take at nine and (think) if things would have worked out differently for him he’s’ a top four pick.”

For this potential reward comes sizeable risk. While Bol measured a 7-foot-7 wingspan at the Combine according to ESPN, he weighed a mere 208 pounds after tipping the scales around 225-230 pre-injury. Powerful NBA big men would push Bol around even at the higher weight.

Other concerns exist with Bol’s attitude and passion. Or at least they did entering college. One NBA scout told NBC Sports Washington,“[Bol] was considered a bad kid, entitled. I didn’t want anything to do with him.” That specific source suggested the desired turnaround occurred during the season. Givony concurred.

“[Desire] was a definite knock on him going into college, but I’ve heard he’s made major strides in that area this year,” Givony said.

Evaluating Sekou Doumbouya, the youngest prospect in the 2019 class, presents different challenges -- and potential.

The 6-foot-9 forward from Guinea plays professionally in France’s top league. Maturity in multiple ways is a question mark for the 210-pound, 18-year-old old, but Givony sees a prospect worthy of lottery consideration. Givony slotted Doumbouya to Washington in his first post-lottery draft.

“I think he makes a lot of sense (for the Wizards),” Givony said. “What he’s doing in France, it’s not what (Mavericks rookie) Luka Doncic did in Real Madrid, but it’s very, very rare. He’s starting, he’s productive. He’s making shots. He’s guarding everybody. He’s their best defender. He’s athletic. He’s long. He’s multi-positional. His shooting has made significant strides. He’s what the NBA is looking for these days, that wing forward type. Can guard everywhere, make a three. Athletic, has a great frame. I’d be shocked if he wasn’t one of the players the Wizards looked at."

Doumbouya did not attend this week’s Combine. Don’t fret. There’s a good chance the Wizards have a thick file on the kid thanks to Tommy Sheppard’s relentless scouting.

“There’s not an executive I see on the road more than [Tommy] throughout the year, especially this year," Givony said. “He’s prepared for this.”

https://www.nbcsports.com/washington/wizards/nba-draft-insider-sees-viable-risk-reward-options-wizards-no-9

I'm so torn on Sheppard. It seems like he's getting glowing praise from everyone in the NBA, but I can't help but associate him with the Grunfeld era.

[TGW]

Watch on YouTube

[Illmatic12]

Why keep Beal? Well, doc just nailed it.

As to your question illuminaire, read the paragraph in Doc's post that begins with: "With a smart savvy creative GM..."

Doc made a very thoughtful post, with some good points, particularly about Beal's leadership. If you can sign him to a five year extension, then sure, he can be a piece to build around. Given what he said about the organization last season, I'm doubtful.

I think it's imperative that a new GM is brought in with some lead time before the draft. His first priority should be getting a good feel from Beal whether or not he'll extend. If he won't or won't give an indication that he will, you've got to at least consider offers for him at the draft (No, I am NOT saying you have to trade him then, but it's possible the right deal is presented at that point).

What would a smart, savvy, creative GM do to solve the Wall situation? The paragraph was thin on specifics. It's the worst contract in the league, probably the worst max contract ever. I don't think it's movable.

Beal was critical of the organizational culture under Grunfeld. Since those comments, he's met with Ted and the team is assuring him that there will be changes moving forward. Brad seems like a guy who's big on relationships, and I think he has strong relationships with a lot of people here, especially Tommy Sheppard.

The quotes he's been giving lately don't sound like someone who is planning to leave.. I think he is waiting to see the new GM we hire, to make sure it isn't gonna be someone who will trade him. If we keepBrad in the loop, and empower him to be the face of the organization and give input on decisions being made, I believe he is prepared to commit longterm.

Super-max returns: Beal spoke about super-max possibilities and hit on similar points to ones he mentioned while talking about the same topic after Sunday’s loss in New York.

He mentioned wanting to win and that “money’s not the problem.” But, he added, “Obviously, this is where I wanna be. Everybody knows that. Ted (Leonsis) knows that. (Interim GM) Tommy (Sheppard) knows that. And everybody in this organization knows it.”

He said whoever the Wizards hire to run their front office would “probably not” affect whether or not he would accept a super-max offer from the team.

“I have a great relationship with (Sheppard), so I know I would probably have a better idea of what (direction) we’re going in and what he likes, better input that way. But a new GM could probably have a totally different agenda on his hands,” Beal said. “But at the same time, I’m gonna keep the same mindset. This is where I wanna be, regardless of who comes in. If it’s offered to me, I’ll sit down with my family and my agent and try to figure it out.”

[Dat2U]

Watch on YouTube

Which is why I prefer to trade down. Now if Bol is still available in the mid 1st area then that's a risk I likely take knowing he may not contribute right away.

[DCZards]

Why keep Beal? Well, doc just nailed it.

As to your question illuminaire, read the paragraph in Doc's post that begins with: "With a smart savvy creative GM..."

Doc made a very thoughtful post, with some good points, particularly about Beal's leadership. If you can sign him to a five year extension, then sure, he can be a piece to build around. Given what he said about the organization last season, I'm doubtful.

I think it's imperative that a new GM is brought in with some lead time before the draft. His first priority should be getting a good feel from Beal whether or not he'll extend. If he won't or won't give an indication that he will, you've got to at least consider offers for him at the draft (No, I am NOT saying you have to trade him then, but it's possible the right deal is presented at that point).

What would a smart, savvy, creative GM do to solve the Wall situation? The paragraph was thin on specifics. It's the worst contract in the league, probably the worst max contract ever. I don't think it's movable.

It’s hard to know for sure what a smart, savvy GM would do regarding the Zards situation. Those of us on this board don’t have anywhere near the resources, data, information or skills that the GM charged would making those decisions would have. So I’m OK with Doc not providing specifics.

Personally, I think the GM should wait to see how Wall performs when he returns from his injury before spending too much time worrying about his contract. Wall’s performance will go a long way towards determining his value to the Zards or to a team that might be a trade partner.

While it’s almost impossible that Wall will ever live up to his contract, that doesn’t mean he still can’t be a very good and productive NBA player…one capable of helping his team win games.

[mhd]

Watch on YouTube

Which is why I prefer to trade down. Now if Bol is still available in the mid 1st area then that's a risk I likely take knowing he may not contribute right away.

Bol's not getting past Atlanta IMO. They have 2 lotto picks and can afford to shoot for the moon at either 8 or 10. He's perfect for their style of play.

[Shoe]

Luka Samanic at 9. Croatian KD