Washington Wizards: Complete grades for the 2019 NBA offseason
By Ben Yokoyama
Overall grade
The Washington Wizards set the tone for the offseason early. They played it safe for the most part, trying to establish a base of young players to build on the All-Star guard duo that will be reunited when John Wall returns from injury.
Rui Hachimura was a safe pick who will be a key player for a while and the Moe Wagner/Isaac Bonga return could turn give strong role players should they develop. The trades for Davis Bertans and C.J. Miles could be one-year tryouts for potential long-term players.
The signings of Ish Smith and Isaiah Thomas fill spots for key role players who could see a lot of court time this season.
Monetarily there were few downsides because many of their larger contracts will be expiring after the upcoming season, giving them more flexibility down the road.
The Wizards let a lot of players walk in order to save some money and build commitments on youth like Thomas Bryant, Troy Brown and Hachimura. Their development into starters will be important to making a playoff run in 2021.
Every move that was made was about building toward the 2020-21 season when the team will be at full strength. Newly appointed general manager Tommy Sheppard stepped up and did a fantastic job under the interim tag and earned the respect of the team and the fans.
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While it was not an exciting offseason for the team, the core pieces are moving into the right places and Sheppard has the team moving in the right direction.