The Washington Wizards were one of the hottest starting teams in the NBA this season. Alas, that hot start was not sustainable, as the Wizards have dropped back in the standings and will now be in a dog fight just to qualify for the NBA Play-In Tournament in the Eastern Conference.
It is imperative that the Wizards get things back on track as the future of their franchise depends on it. Everything that the team does between now and the NBA trade deadline will be made with Bradley Beal in mind.
The superstar shooting guard could become a free agent this offseason if he declines his player option for the 2022-23 season. The Wizards want to keep him long-term and Beal hasn’t given any indication that he wants to leave, but until he puts pen to paper on an extension, there will always be some worry that he will move on.
Continuing to win games and making the postseason would be the best thing to convince Bradley Beal to remain with the organization long-term. He wants to see that the necessary moves to build a winning roster can be made. Could that include hitting the reset button on a move from the past offseason?
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One of the biggest acquisitions the Washington Wizards made during the 2021 free agency period was landing point guard Spencer Dinwiddie from the Brooklyn Nets via a sign-and-trade that at the completion was a massive, five-team trade.
Dinwiddie was taking over the starting point guard role from Russell Westbrook, who was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. He is returning from a torn ACL, but the results haven’t been great for Spencer Dinwiddie.
Could the Washington Wizards look to trade him as a result? According to Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report, there is a chance that Dinwiddie is on the move ahead of the deadline.
Some also say the Wizards are open to dealing veteran point guard Spencer Dinwiddie, who hasn’t quite meshed with Beal.
His efficiency is down as he is making only 39.2 percent of his shots overall and 32 percent of his 3-point attempts. On the season, he is averaging 13.5 points, 5.8 assists, and 4.5 rebounds in 30.5 minutes per game.
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Could Spencer Dinwiddie be used as part of a package to pry Jerami Grant away from the Detroit Pistons? Detroit was one of the teams reportedly interested in acquiring Dinwiddie during the offseason and could look into acquiring him again via trade.
One thing you can be sure of is that the Washington Wizards will make moves to put them in a position to advance to the postseason. Retaining Bradley Beal could rely on a postseason berth as the Wizards need to convince him that they can build a sustainable, winning product.
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The No. 1 goal for the organization should be appealing to and making Bradley Beal happy. If that means parting with their big free-agent acquisition in Spencer Dinwiddie, so be it.
