As the upcoming NBA season is about to begin, Malcolm Brogdon made some comments that Washington Wizards fans likely won't be too happy with. Brogdon is set to suit up for the New York Knicks this season, and his latest words weren't exactly complimentary of his former team in the nation's capitol.
"The last two years I’ve been on rebuilding teams and that presents challenges for a vet,” Brogdon said. “Going into my 10th year, I wanted to be in a good organization that’s competing and trying to win a championship. I had that in Milwaukee, Boston, and here I think there’s a real shot."
By phrasing his statement in this way, Brogdon implicitly contrasted his time in Washington with his desired new environment. It's certainly understandable why Wizards fans might be upset at this.
Referring to Washington as a rebuilding team can come across as a jab at the Wizards' direction and overall mindset as an organization. Something like this can make fans feel undervalued, or like Brogdon was minimizing his experience or effort level while he was in DC.
Brogdon's comments may have felt disrespectful to the Wizards' fanbase
It's fair for fans to expect a bit more gracious wording from a former player than what Brogdon showed here. For a veteran guy like him, there's always going to be a fine line between having an ambitious mindset and burning the bridges of the past.
It's totally understandable for fans to feel frustrated, especially after what they saw from Brogdon's tenure while he was in Washington. The guard unfortunately dealt with a plethora of injury and inconsistency issues that make his critique here feel a little less credible, to be frank.
Brogdon's performance in 24 games with the Wizards last season gives critics a fair amount of fodder to argue that he wasn't really in a position to say something like this. On top of that, the timing of his comments so soon after leaving the organization probably stings a bit more for some because it does come across less as an honest reflection and more as distancing himself from the team.
I don't think there was a huge contingency of fans in Washington that were big supporters of Malcolm Brogdon anyway. But now, he certainly hasn't made any more friends among the Wizards fanbase. If anything, this is just going to make home games in Washington against New York this coming season that much more energetic.