The 2023-24 NBA season is less than a month away and all 30 teams are trying to improve in some form or fashion. One team to watch out for is the Washington Wizards, however, it may not be for the reason you think.
Washington finished the 2022-23 season in 12th place in the Eastern Conference with a 35-47 record. Fans of the nation's capital were disappointed with the result of another lackluster year.
After the season's conclusion, management had to evaluate their next steps and how they would rebuild this roster. In 2020, the team moved on from the massive John Wall contract which started to push the franchise toward a rebuild process.
This summer, Washington made a colossal decision by trading Bradley Beal to the Phoenix Suns. Chris Paul was a part of the trade return and he was eventually swapped for Jordan Poole. Now that the Wizards have a younger roster and are officially in the rebuilding phase it's worth asking how far they will lean into the tank this year.
Here are three signs that Washington is defintely tanking the 2023-24 season.
Signs the Wizards are tanking: 3. Moving on from Bradley Beal
The first sign that the Wizards are going to tank this season is their recent trade of Beal. Since 2019, the Wizards have extended the Flordia product numerous times.
When the team traded Wall in 2020, fans, critics, and analysts assumed that Beal would request a trade or not sign an extension. Instead, he continued to take the bag and extend his stay in the Nation's Capital. But after this season both parties decided to part ways. Moving on from him is a huge sign that the team is tanking because he was their focal point for the last decade.
Also, Beal was the one player who kept the franchise relevant and in contention to make the postseason (pending all things went right). The departure of the 11-year veteran shows that the franchise wants to start over and rebuild. One of the quickest ways to rebuild is to obtain draft picks and position yourself for the NBA lottery.
Signs the Wizards are tanking: 2. Parting ways with key role players
The second indicator Washington is preparing to tank this upcoming season is their continual offloading of key role players. In addition to Beal, the team also traded Kristaps Porzingis to the Celtics this summer and Rui Hachimura to the Lakers at the last deadline. Washington also bought out the contract of Will Barton.
These moves are a huge sign that the team will tank because they don't want to be tied down to a specific contract which makes them less competitive roster-wise. Trading players like Hachimura and Porzingis allowed the team to stock up on assets.
Trading key role players also creates more space for veteran minimum contracts and shorter deals roster-wide. Entering the upcoming season, the Wizards will have the flexibility to continue to move role players to other teams for solid value.
It's also a sign that they would rather use minutes on young players for the sake of development than continue to chase wins with middling veterans. Three notable names that will be important for people to watch are Poole, Kyle Kuzma and Landry Shamet. They don't necessarily fit the current timeline and could be flipped for additional assets.
Signs the Wizards are tanking: 1. Washington salary cap edition
Finally, the last sign that the Wizards are tanking is their strategy of contracts and salary management. At this moment, the franchise has nine players who are signed for four years, however, Kuzma ($90 million) and Poole($120 million) are the only ones who have a total salary higher than $50 million.
The rest of the salary cap for Washington consists of two players who are signed to three years, five players who are signed to two years, and four players who are signed to a one-year deal. On the flip side, the franchise has 10 players who are signed until 2027.
Washington has done a great job of signing players to contracts that can either be bought out or traded easily. Oftentimes, teams sink themselves with massive contracts that do not allow flexibility.
The Wizard's salary management is a sign that they will tank because they are essentially shipping pieces off to make them less competitive. Not to mention, it is a long season and they only have three strong pieces on their roster.
Poole, Kuzma, and Shamet will have the green light to shoot at will but who will be their supporting cast? With all the recent trades and departures, Washington will not be competitive this season and is on track for another losing season and possibly winning the NBA lottery. They're rebuilding but they're not worried about doing it quickly.