Washington Wizards: If the playoffs are Plan A, then what’s Plan B?
Win as much as possible?
Despite the benefits that come with being one of the worst teams in the NBA, it makes a lot more sense for the Washington Wizards to continue winning. As long as it’s not at the cost of Bradley Beal’s health, which could potentially derail the franchise’s trajectory–well, forever.
Continuing to display and prove what they’ve built in Washington will be the biggest narrative among their pitches to free agents this summer. Because to be frank, the Wizards won’t be showing up to the party with a lot of money to pitch in on the pizza.
Washington is projected to have $15.1 million in cap space this summer, which will almost entirely go to resigning Bertans, presumably. But if not, there are other names that might (and should) peak the Wizards’ interest like Paul Millsap, Derrick Favors, Serge Ibaka, or Jerami Grant.
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They’ll be left with minimums and exceptions to work with, and while the dollar amounts associated with those aren’t typically attractive, this culture could be.
As long as they continue to win, and prove they are a franchise point guard (plus a few other pieces) away, then they’ll only help their upcoming stance in the free agency market. And for a team that has their eyes on a big jump next season, they need a splash in free agency to be as successful as ever.