Washington Wizards' Future With John Wall Is Questioned

Washington Wizards star John Wall is anxiously waiting for his team to take the leap, but his future in D.C. could be determined relatively soon.

The upcoming season for the Washington Wizards could shape the future of the team, in particular the future of John Wall as the franchise player.

As the busy part of the NBA off-season came and went with Washington failing to land a marquee free agent or sign Wall to a contract extension (similar to James Harden), the clock started ticking just a little louder on the remaining three years of the All-Star point guard’s contract.

Since being drafted first overall in the 2010 NBA Draft, the Washington Wizards have been unable to put a second All-Star on the court with Wall.

Bradley Beal is being paid as if the Wizards expect him to become just that and has proven it in spurts, but until potential meets reality on a consistent basis he can’t be considered that All-Star.

This summer came with hopes of potentially adding a marquee player to the core.

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The pursuit of Kevin Durant was always a long-shot and quickly became a no-shot, but the Washington Wizards made a strong run at Al Horford, which ultimately came up just short.

Plan C was to build the bench by adding Ian Mahinmi, a quality role player coming off a career season and other projected rotational pieces including Andrew Nicholson, Jason Smith, Tomas Satoransky and Trey Burke.

While the sum of the parts should positively impact the roster, this doesn’t equate to the big splash that many had hoped for.

That doesn’t mean it won’t work.

Mahinmi, an ex-first round pick, is a defensive upgrade and can help the Wizards regain the defensive identity they lost last season.

He may also be a late bloomer, which isn’t all too uncommon among big men.

Nicholson and Burke were 2012 first round selections, both flashing some level of skill but also failing to seize opportunities in their initial NBA stops.

At 23 and 26, respectively, there’s still an opportunity for improvement and Nicholson, in particular, brings a stretch big skill set that this team has sorely lacked since Wall’s arrival to D.C.

Satoransky is a wild card.

At 6-foot-7, Satoransky can play multiple positions and has been developing well overseas as he’s faced higher levels of competition.

Relying on development, mainly, as the key to substantial improvement is a gamble, though.

That gamble can lead to a crossroads between John Wall and the Washington Wizards in the near future.

Prior to the start of the free agency period, Wall spoke several times on what he was hoping the Wizards’ front office would accomplish heading into the summer.

In a conversation with The Vertical, Wall had this to say:

"“I feel if [Brooks] can make a pitch, and I can make a pitch and [Durant] comes, it’s great. I think we do need another star here, another great player to [get over] that next hump. You need three stars to win this league.”"

In a subsequent interview with CSNmidatlantic.com, Wall said this:

"“You got to have a lockdown defender on the wing or something,” Wall told CSNmidatlantic.com over the weekend. “You got to have a big man that can protect this paint and block shots.”"

Of the three roster goals that Wall set forth for the Wizards’ front office, you could argue that they only hit on one of the three items from his wish list.

Mahinmi addressed the need for a rim protector and defensive minded big man which Wall referred to, but they failed to secure another star or a lockdown wing.

Although off-season activity has slowed down, Wall has continued to reiterate the need for a defensive minded wing on repeated occasions. This past weekend, he addressed the situation again:

"“We got to come into the season and try to stay healthy. If you stay healthy, you give yourself a better chance to win and not have to switch up lineups. But I think we did a great job of adding some pieces, but I think we have an opportunity to add one more piece.”"

By his own words, Wall does not feel the roster as currently constructed is a finished product.

If the Washington Wizards fail to get that additional piece and fail to improve in the upcoming season, where does that leave them and where does that leave Wall?

Heading into his seventh NBA season, he’s no longer considered a young player that you project forward on. The time for him is now. He repeatedly referred to last year as a “wasted season.”

Next summer when Wall is heading towards his eighth season, would he entrust the Wizards’ front office to acquire the third star he was looking for this past summer?

Would he have faith in the architects of this team after being unable to get that “one more piece” Wall is indicating the roster still needs?

If the answer is no – and you’d have to guess it would be – then this team may be at a crossroads with the clock on Wall’s contract expiration beginning to tick just a little bit faster.

And that expiration might occur as early as next summer…

– The Washington Wizards cannot risk losing John Wall, their franchise player, without compensation. Allowing him to play out his contract year in 2018-19 without a contract extension in place would be very risky.

– If the Washington Wizards fail to get a commitment from Wall to re-sign in the summer of ’18 and decide to trade him, at that point there’s the risk his market value will be somewhat diminished.

Washington Wizards: John Wall’s Future In D.C. Could Be Determined Soon

By Osman Baig | Aug 23, 2016

Washington Wizards star John Wall is anxiously waiting for his team to take the leap, but his future in D.C. could be determined relatively soon.