Injury gives Wizards shot to reset
WASHINGTON – At 14-23 and nearing the halfway point of the season, the Wizards were amid a disappointing campaign that likely did not have a playoff appearance coming.
The news that All-Star point guard John Wall will have season-ending surgery on his left heel is a merciful resolution to a season marked by underachieving players and frustration with the front office and coaching staffs.
The angst surrounding this season dissipated with the Wall news, and the Wizards now can play out the schedule minus the daily scrutiny over a season gone awry.
The Wizards can focus on other things besides the playoffs:
❚ Young players.
❚ Figuring out who is part of the future, even if it means trades.
❚ The draft, including a likely lottery pick who can contribute immediately.
❚ Who runs the front office and coaches the team next season. Let’s take them one by one.
It’s time for more minutes for rookie forward Troy Brown, second-year center Thomas Bryant, second-year guard Chasson Randle, third-year forward Sam Dekker and third-year guard Tomas Satoransky.
The 6-11 Bryant has had impressive performances in the past two weeks: 31 points on 14 of 14 shooting and 13 rebounds against the Suns, and 21 points and 10 rebounds against the Hornets.
Brown was the 15th pick in June’s draft — just one spot out of the lottery — but for some reason, he has had trouble cracking coach Scott Brooks’ rotation. In this era of the NBA, a team in the Wizards’ position needs to hit on a draft pick at No. 15 who can play.
Making it more frustrating is watching players drafted after Brown (or undrafted) contribute: Milwaukee’s Donte DiVencenzo, Atlanta’s Kevin Huerter, Minnesota’s Josh Okogie, Philadelphia’s Landry Shamet, Charlotte’s Devonte Graham, Brooklyn’s Rodion Kurucs, Detroit’s Bruce Brown and New York’s Allonzo Trier.
Brown played 18 minutes Saturday in Washington’s first game after the Wall news, and he delivered with nine points, two rebounds, two assists and a blocked shot.
Giving those younger players minutes will determine who the Wizards want to keep — and who they might want to trade.
Wall is not tradable right now because of the injury, and the contract extension that guarantees him $170 million over four seasons starting in 2019
20 makes it even more difficult to move him.
By season, the cap figures on the deal are $38.1 million in 2019-20, $41.2 million in 2020-21, $44.25 million in 2021
22 and $47.3 million in 2022-23. It will be difficult but not impossible to get out from under those suffocating numbers.
It makes no sense to trade Bradley Beal, who is the team’s best player and in line to play in his second All-Star Game. However, he is the player who can return the most assets in a trade.
Teams have called the Wizards about Markieff Morris’ availability in a trade, and Otto Porter is another trade possibility.
We’ll see what the front office and ownership decides to do.
Keep in mind the Wizards right now do not have financial flexibility headed into free agency. They are tied up in $92 million due to Wall, Beal and Porter next season, plus $15 million owed to Ian Mahinmi. The salary cap is projected at $109 million.
As far as the remainder of this season, the more losses the better. Beal said after Saturday’s game that he is shooting for the playoffs. That’s the right attitude for players. They should want to compete and try to win. And the Wizards played decent at times without Wall last season — about .500 ball.
They need to be much better than that to sniff the playoffs, even in the Eastern Conference. Going into the new week, the 11th-place Wizards were closer to the 14th-place Knicks than the eighth-place Pistons in the East standings.
Getting a top-10 pick who can play from Day 1 next season will benefit the Wizards more than a push for the seventh or eighth seed. But the front office needs to draft the right player. It can’t be a wasted pick.
Who will be around to make that pick and develop that player? Ernie Grunfeld has been in charge of basketball operations since 2003, and disgruntled fans would like to see a change.
Owner Ted Leonsis has been patient with his player personnel chiefs with his NBA and NHL teams. Brooks is also in the third year of a five-year, $35 million contract. It won’t be surprising if both are back next season, and this Wall injury gives Leonsis more reason to keep the status quo.
Wall’s injury has given the Wizards some breathing room. Can they turn it into something better than they had?