Washington Wizards: 4 Things the Next GM Must Focus On
By Ethan Smith
Win Back the Fan Base
Over a decade of underachieving mediocrity and odd decision making has created a lot of apathy within the Wizards fan base. Head to Capital One Arena when they’re taking on the Los Angeles Lakers or Boston Celtics and you’ll wonder which team is really the home team.
A new GM, however, will get some benefit of the doubt from day one simply because their name won’t be Ernie Grunfeld. But beyond that, they need to make the moves that will not just help the franchise, but also elicit some excitement from the fan base.
One simple way to do that: Don’t trade Bradley Beal.
Of course, Beal’s name has been involved in trade rumors all season, and that likely won’t cease this summer. He’s one of the Wizards only truly tradable assets and he’s one of the NBA’s best shooting guard. The Wizards salary cap situation is an utter mess. Other teams will certainly try to “help” them sort that out by trying to poach the Wizards’ 25-year-old all-star in the midst of an All-NBA season.
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If the Wizards are offered a crazy rich haul, they should consider it. But Beal has quickly become a lovable fan-favorite across the league and the face of the franchise in D.C. as John Wall sits with injury.
Sending him elsewhere just wouldn’t sit right.