4 Washington Wizards games to circle on your calendar
By Ethan Smith
December 6 at Miami HEAT
On December 6, the Washington Wizards will travel down to South Beach for their first contest with the team many are assuming will win the Southeastern Division this season: The Miami Heat.
Much like the Wizards, the Heat will have a very different look this season than they did last year. Jimmy Butler has arrived as the new alpha in Pat Riley and Erik Spoelstra’s system. Defensive stud Josh Richardson is with the Philadelphia 76ers. Dion Waiters is healthy again. And Hassan Whiteside, the overpriced knucklehead, has found a new home with the Portland Trail Blazers. The Wizards won just one of their four games against the Heat last year, going 1-3 in their season series. We’ll see what happens this year with some very different rosters.
This game has far more intrigue beyond a few new roster acquisitions, however. The Miami Heat have been at the center of many Bradley Beal trade rumors throughout the offseason. Most of the hypothetical trade packages have been preposterous and the Wizards have rightfully stayed pat on not trading Beal. How much truth there’s been to any of the rumors, nobody knows. While there have been a lot of impassioned pleas from Miami fans, there haven’t been many (if any) credible reports. Regardless, the idea is still floating out there and it’s been out there for quite a while. Seeing Beal in Miami could give us a glimmer of insight into the young shooting guard’s future.