They were eliminated by the dominant Philadelphia 76ers. This was not before the heart and passion of the team shone through and they took a game from the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. This showed that there is a lot to like about this Wizards team moving forward.
There have been rumors floating around during the offseason that Bradley Beal, the team’s star, was looking for a trade. He came out and denied these, once again proving his loyalty to the team through the good times and the bad times.
The Wizards roster has had a major overhaul this offseason. Obviously, Beal is still the centerpiece but there have been so many moving parts from the draft, to trades, to free-agent signings that the team that hits the floor next season will be very different from the one who lost in the playoffs in 2020-21.
The Wizards still have a very young core who is going to grow each year they are in the NBA. Rui Hachimura is about to enter his third season, as is Daniel Gafford. Deni Avdija and Anthony Gill are about to enter their second season. Given that the Wizards have moved on from all their players with ten or more seasons in the league, the youthful push is on for the team.
Now, let’s look at each of the moves the Wizards have made this free agency.
Washington Wizards</a> had a challenging season in 2020-21. They were one of the teams hit hardest by the health and safety protocols enacted by the NBA due to COVID-19. However, they were able to bounce back from all of that to make the playoffs.</p>
<p>They were eliminated by the dominant Philadelphia 76ers. This was not before the heart and passion of the team shone through and they took a game from the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. This showed that there is a lot to like about this Wizards team moving forward.</p>
<p>There have been rumors floating around during the offseason that Bradley Beal, the team’s star, was looking for a trade. He came out and denied these, once again proving his loyalty to the team through the good times and the bad times.</p>
<h2>The Washington Wizards have had another busy offseason where their roster received a major overhaul. Here we grade each move.</h2>
<p>The Wizards roster has had a major overhaul this offseason. Obviously, Beal is still the centerpiece but there have been so many moving parts from the draft, to trades, to free-agent signings that the team that hits the floor next season will be very different from the one who lost in the playoffs in 2020-21.</p>
<p>The Wizards still have a very young core who is going to grow each year they are in the NBA. Rui Hachimura is about to enter his third season, as is Daniel Gafford. Deni Avdija and Anthony Gill are about to enter their second season. Given that the Wizards have moved on from all their players with ten or more seasons in the league, the youthful push is on for the team.</p>
<p>Now, let’s look at each of the moves the Wizards have made this free agency.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/08/08/washington-wizards-grading-offseason-2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Re-signing Raul Neto </a>
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lost Russell Westbrook via trade</a> but replaced him with the more traditional point guard <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/08/08/washington-wizards-grading-offseason-2/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/d/dinwisp01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Spencer Dinwiddie</a>. There will be more on these moves later.</p>
<p>The Wizards had to choose between Ish Smith and <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/08/08/washington-wizards-grading-offseason-2/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/n/netora01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Raul Neto</a> as both of these players played crucial roles on the squad last season. Neto is slightly better than Smith defensively but in other seasons Smith’s offensive prowess would have seen him as the preferred option.</p>
<p>However, Neto seemed to fit the Wizards system better last season, averaging 8.7 points per game compared to Smiths 6.7 per game. Smith did average 3.9 assists per game compared to Neto’s 2.3 per game. It appears that the decision came down to age and health reasons. Neto is going to be 29 this season, compared to Smith turning 33.</p>
<p>Smith only played 44 games last season compared to Neto playing 64 games. Neto started 22 of them due to his ability to space the floor. He went 39.0 percent from beyond the arc last season which helped the Wizards space the floor. He is not going to move the needle much but will take on whatever role the new head coach, Wes Unseld Jr. asks of him.</p>
<p><strong>Grade: B-</strong></p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/08/08/washington-wizards-grading-offseason-2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> The five-team trade part one: Spencer Dinwiddie </a>
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<span class="call_to_action">Next:</span> NBA Free Agency: Grading all 30 teams so far </a> </div>
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