Bradley Beal recently re-signed with the Washington Wizards, shortly after free agency opened. He got a five-year supermax deal to remain with the only NBA team that he has ever played for. In his decade-long NBA career, Washington has only made it to the playoffs five times, and the most recent one was only because of the play-in tournament.
That appearance is also the only one the team has in the past four seasons. With Beal committing to the franchise for the future instead of going to a contender in free agency, it is time for the Wizards to actually build well around Bradley Beal.
What I said is, of course, much easier said than done. They have already started to do it though. They traded Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Ish Smith to the Denver Nuggets for Will Barton and Monte Morris. That trade was a really good start. Barton is a talented swingman who does a lot of things well. Morris is widely regarded to be one of the best back-up point guards in the NBA, and could certainly have a chance to earn the starting role this season.
There is a lot of young talent on this roster, with former Gonzaga Bulldogs Rui Hachimura and Corey Kispert ready to take the next step this season and the draft’s 10th overall pick last month in Johnny Davis heading into his rookie season. Former top ten pick Deni Avdija will be looking to prove himself heading into this season.
Kristaps Porzingis needs to stay healthy for once, and Kyle Kuzma has become a very solid player. In addition, Daniel Gafford is an excellent backup Center.
All of that is a good start. If that roster plays to its potential, they could be a 5-8 seed in the playoffs next season. But that isn’t good enough. It is still far from a championship contender. Plus, there are so many wildcards on this team that they could be that good or they could be terrible. Washington’s front office has to do a better job at building a team around Bradley Beal that is good enough to win a championship.