3. Washington Wizards
Two All-Star guards? See Beal, Bradley and Wall, John.
A point guard that excels in the pick-and-roll? See John Wall and to a lesser degree, Bradley Beal. Multiple shooters on the wings? See Bradley Beal, Otto Porter Jr., Kelly Oubre Jr., Markieff Morris and Tomas Satoransky.
All that’s left is for Howard to sign the dotted line…. except it’s never that simple in the NBA.
Washington is coming off a season where they finished 43-39, and where John Wall only played in 41 games in the regular season. Wall’s injury history should be more concerning than people make it out to be, but when healthy, is one of the league’s best passers and point guards. Wall’s injuries last season allowed for Bradley Beal and Tomas Satoransky to emerge as something Howard needs: playmakers.
When the Wizards trotted out the lineup of Satoransky-Beal-Oubre-Scott-Mahinmi, that lineup outscored opponents by 16.5 points a game. In simpler terms, when the Wizards trotted out a lineup with at least two capable playmakers, an explosive wing, a stretch-4, and a traditional big, the Wizards scored in bunches. If the Wizards signed Howard, they should be able to trot out a similar lineup next season, something that looks like this:
Wall-Beal-Oubre-Porter-Howard
How many points would a lineup featuring a big man who way more explosive than any big that was on Washington’s roster last season score? Answer: a lot more than the 106.6 per game they averaged this past season.
Ernie Grunfeld doesn’t have the greatest track record as a GM, but signing Howard would be a move in the right direction.