- With a recent report claiming that the Pacers may shake up their roster, Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington examines whether Domantas Sabonis should be a trade target for the Wizards. Hughes notes that Rui Hachimura and Thomas Bryant are expected to return soon and the front office would like to see how they fit with their revamped roster. Hughes adds that the club already has the look of a playoff team and the addition of Sabonis may not move the needle all that much.
Wizards star Bradley Beal is in no hurry to sign another extension with the team, saying on the “Posted Up with Chris Haynes” podcast that he wants to be in charge of his future.
Beal received a maximum extension offer in October that would pay him $181.3MM over four seasons. However, he’s not under a deadline and could accept the offer at any time during the 2021/22 season. Most likely, he will opt for free agency after the season, making him eligible to sign for $241.6MM over five years with Washington or $179.1MM over four years with another team, assuming a $119MM salary cap.
“I got time, so I kinda hold the cards right now,” Beal told Haynes. “And one, I’ve never been in this position. I’m kinda embracing that, being able to kinda dictate how I want my future to be and where I want it to be. And at the same time, I’m not gonna make that grand commitment and it doesn’t work. Ultimately, you have to be selfish at some point and for probably the first time in my career, Year 10, I am. And so I’m kinda taking advantage of it in a way.
“Obviously, my full commitment is to the team. I want it to work. I’ve contributed to being here. I’ve committed to being here twice. Now, I want to see that commitment to me, as well, that we can create a winning team here, a winning environment here. And granted, I’m a part of that, so I gotta make sure that I’m stepping up and doing my thing, too, just as well.”
Beal is in his 10th year with the Wizards and has remained loyal to the organization despite limited playoff success during that time. He has agreed to a pair of extensions, with the most recent coming in 2019 and adding two years to his contract. He is reportedly happy with the changes the organization made during the offseason, but wants to see more before making a long-term commitment.
Beal also discussed the new-look roster with Haynes and said he understood Russell Westbrook‘s desire to return home and play for the Lakers.
“I was happy for Russ because he wanted to, like, I am always happy for a player that they do what they want to do and what’s best for their family,” Beal said. “… But my initial thing was, ‘OK, if I’m going to be here, what are we getting back?’ That was my first thought. It wasn’t like, OK, I’m outta here, too. Which it could’ve been, it could’ve very well been. … What are his options that he wants to go to, or what teams are looking to offer us the best package?”
“You have a guy in Year 13 in Russ who wants to win now. He wants to win now. He wants things done now. … Which is why I ultimately see and respected Russ for his decision. But when it came back, it’s like, OK I see the pieces we have, we can make this work. You turn one guy into five guys. Five useful guys.”
The slumping Wizards are due for lineup changes when Rui Hachimura and Thomas Bryant are ready to start playing again, writes Josh Robbins of The Athletic. Washington was one of the NBA’s early-season surprises with a 10-3 start, but has gone just 4-7 since then and has fallen to the middle of the Eastern Conference pack.
In a recent radio interview, general manager Tommy Sheppard said Hachimura, who is away from the team on a personal absence and hasn’t played yet this season, could begin practicing after a three-game road trip ends Wednesday. Sheppard expects Bryant, who is recovering from a torn ACL, to be back at practice within two weeks.
Once they’re available, Robbins expects coach Wes Unseld Jr. to make adjustments to his rotation. Davis Bertans is likely to see his minutes reduced, along with rookie Corey Kispert. Kyle Kuzma, who has been playing power forward in Hachimura’s absence, will probably see more time at small forward, and Deni Avdija will have a smaller role.
There’s more from Washington:
- The Wizards are being cautious with Spencer Dinwiddie, who will be rested tonight in the second game of a back-to-back, Robbins tweets. The free agent addition is only 11 months removed from ACL reconstruction surgery on his right knee.
- Even though Washington lost to the Raptors on Sunday, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope delivered his best game since being acquired from the Lakers in an offseason trade, notes Andrew Gillis of NBC Sports Washington. Caldwell-Pope delivered 26 points on 8-of-9 shooting, even though he said he felt less than 100%. KCP is one of four Wizards who haven’t missed a game this season. “You just gotta try to gut it out,” Caldwell-Pope said. “You’ve got to try to find that energy from somewhere and try to finish the game. Just do your job and do what you can do out there. Just give it all you’ve got until you can’t give it no more. We talk about effort so much, it’s a big part of how we play the game.”
- The Wizards haven’t lost three straight games this season, and Unseld is eager to see how they respond after two straight blowouts, per Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington. “Early in the season, we bounced back from these stretches,” he said. “This has kind of been the longest duration where things are kind of tenuous for us, so it’s certainly a test. We have no choice. We’ve gotta pull together, we’ve gotta dig ourselves out and we’ve gotta find a way.”
Wizards forward Deni Avdija is emerging as a reliable shot-blocker for the team, Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington writes. Avdija doesn’t have a reputation as a rim protector, but has recorded 18 blocks in 20 games, surprising even himself.
“Wow,” Avdija said. “I’m just taking pride, to be honest with you. I’m stepping onto the court, trying to guard the best guys, trying to help the team to really protect the paint.”
As Hughes notes, Avdija recorded just 15 blocks in the 54 games he played last season. Washington has harped about the importance of playing better defense this season, a philosophy that Avdija and his teammates have bought into. The team ranks fourth in the Eastern Conference at 14-9.
Here are some other notes from the East:
- Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel examines whether the Heat could be in danger of burning out their veterans. Players such as Kyle Lowry, P.J. Tucker and Dewayne Dedmon have been tasked with carrying bigger workloads in the absences of Jimmy Butler (tailbone), Bam Adebayo (thumb) and others.
- The Pacers are hitting the reset button after losing four straight games, James Boyd of The Indianapolis Star writes. Indiana lost to Miami on Friday 113-104, had an off day Saturday, then had an intense practice on Sunday. “I thought we had a great practice (Sunday),” Malcolm Brogdon said. “It was honestly like a training camp practice. We went hard (Sunday), and I think that’s what we needed. We just gotta come out and compete, man. We gotta play with desperation on a high level.”
- Nets head coach Steve Nash believes the Eastern Conference is as deep as it’s ever been, Peter Botte of the New York Post writes. In addition to Brooklyn, the East has the defending-champion Bucks, the wild-card Heat and several other teams that could compete for a championship. “The simple answer is it’s about as strong as the East has been for a long time,” Nash said after his team lost to the Bulls on Saturday. “There aren’t any ‘gimmes,’ so to speak. The West is terrific and has some great teams at the top, but the East is deep. Every night, it seems like a battle. I think it’s good for the balance of the league and for this kind of depth and parity. It feels like since the ’90s, we haven’t seen that, but it’s been exciting to see such a competitive Eastern Conference so far.”
- The Wizards are encouraged by their strong start to the season, Ava Wallace of the Washington Post writes. The team owns the second-best record in the Eastern Conference at 13-7 after winning an impressive road game against the Mavericks 120-114 on Saturday. “I trust my teammates. I trust them to make the right play, and it means the world to me not having to make every one,” Bradley Beal said. “I have guys I can throw the ball to and then go get a shot, go create a play for somebody else. I can have a hockey assist. Those are all — I’m definitely proud of [it], and it’s a stepping stone for me, too. It’s a learning process.”
- Speaking of Beal and the Wizards, Josh Robbins of The Athletic examines how the All-Star guard is maturing and why it’s so important. In 17 games this season, Beal is averaging 23.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 5.9 assists, shooting 44% from the floor, 28% from deep and 93% from the free throw line.
- Wizards forward Rui Hachimura, whose debut this season has been delayed due to a personal absence, still isn’t quite ready to return to action. According to Ava Wallace of The Washington Post (Twitter link), Hachimura didn’t accompany the team on its current four-game road trip, which runs through Monday.
Wizards forward Davis Bertans is set to return to the lineup Wednesday, per our JD Shaw (Twitter link). Bertans has been sidelined the past 10 games with an ankle sprain.
We noted yesterday that bertans practiced with the Capital City Go-Go in the G League and was a game-time decision against the Hornets. However, he ended up missing the game and will instead make his return tomorrow against the Pelicans.
Bertans was off to a slow start this season; through seven games, he’s averaging 6.1 PPG and 1.7 RPG in 16.9 MPG, with a .342/.333/1.000 shooting line.
Here’s more from the Southeast Division:
- Montrezl Harrell, an unrestricted free agent in 2022, is off to a terrific start with the Wizards, averaging 17.5 PPG, 9.0 RPG, and 2.3 APG (28.4 MPG) through 17 contests. Josh Robbins of The Athletic explores how much Harrell might earn in free agency. Robbins says if Bradley Beal decides to stay with the team, and assuming Harrell maintains his production, he could see the Wizards offering him a contract in the range of $10-14MM annually. He points to Christian Wood (three years, $41MM) and Richaun Holmes (four years, $46.5MM) as recent examples of contracts in that range.
- Fourth-year center Mohamed Bamba, who’ll be a restricted free agent this summer if the Magic tender him a qualifying offer, recently gave a Q&A with Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. Bamba says he’s happy in Orlando and thinks the team has a lot of potential. “I think the sky’s the limit for this young group. We have a lot of talent, and we have a lot of depth at every position. I’m excited to be a part of this. I’m excited to wear Orlando across my chest. I’m just focusing on the now and the moment,” Bamba said.
- Hawks wing Cam Reddish is showing progress in his third season, according to Sarah K. Spencer of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Star Trae Young says good things happen when Reddish is in attack-mode on offense. “He’s just stepping right in and playing his role, going hard on defense, and then on the offensive end we want him to attack, be aggressive and for me personally I love when he’s going to the basket and he’s making plays and he’s talking mess, just being himself, you know what I’m saying?” Young said. “I think that’s when you get the best version of Cam, when he’s playing like that.” Reddish will be eligible for a rookie scale extension this summer.
In his early look at 2022’s top free agents, John Hollinger of The Athletic ranks Bulls guard Zach LaVine as the No. 1 player in next year’s class, ahead of stars like Wizards guard Bradley Beal and Nets guard James Harden. As Hollinger explains, LaVine will be just 27 years old when he reaches free agency, which means his next contract is a good bet to cover his prime years. Beal will be 29 and Harden will be entering his age-33 season, so the final seasons of long-term deals would be a little riskier in those cases — especially for Harden.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Former NBA first-round pick Malachi Richardson is continuing his professional career in Poland, having signed with King Wilki Morskie Szczecin, according to the team. The 22nd overall pick in the 2016 draft, Richardson hasn’t played in the NBA since the 2018/19 season and most recently suited up in Italy.
- Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Mexico City Capitanes’ first season in the NBA G League has them based out of an apartment complex in Fort Worth, Texas without a home arena. Scott Cacciola of The New York Times takes a closer look at an unusual start for the G League’s first Mexican franchise, which won’t actually play in Mexico in 2021/22.
- With the Lakers and Knicks set to face one another in Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night, Sopan Deb of The New York Times explores why Sportico and Forbes have given both teams valuations north of $5 billion and why the value of a big-market franchise like the Lakers or Knicks isn’t really dependent on whether or not they’re winning.
- Wizards forward Davis Bertans and Rui Hachimura both practiced with the Capital City Go-Go in the G League today, per Chris Miller of NBC Sports Washington (Twitter link). Bertans, who has been out for three weeks due to a left ankle sprain, will be a game-time decision tonight. Hachimura, who missed the start of the season for personal reasons, continues to ramp up his conditioning.
Wizards star Bradley Beal was “ecstatic” to learn that general manager Tommy Sheppard received a promotion and contract extension with the franchise, Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington writes.
Sheppard, who was elevated to team president, has overhauled Washington’s roster to remain competitive in the Eastern Conference. The Wizards have opened the season with an impressive 11-5 record, which is vital toward keeping Beal happy and persuading him to reject any rival trade interest.
“I see Shep in here every single day,” Beal said. “He’s very in tune, he cares. He’s an awesome person and he loves the game. He just wants his team to do well, he wants his team to get better and he holds us to a certain standard. I respect it and I love it. I’m definitely happy for him.
“He’s just constantly working, he’s constantly checking on me, checking on everybody. He’s a great GM, I’m happy for him and his promotion and his next few years here.”
Here are some other notes from the East tonight:
- Nets forward James Johnson has provided some defensive grit for the team, Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes. Johnson, who signed with Brooklyn in the offseason, has seen increased playing time with Nicolas Claxton (illness) and Paul Millsap (personal) missing multiple games. “The biggest part about this team is just trying to find the identity and sticking to that,” Johnson said. “We have to have some kind of identity that when we’re going into a gym it’s not the Brooklyn Nets that’s on paper, it’s that hard-fighting, physical, tough win-it-out gang.”
- Knicks president Leon Rose will deserve significant blame if the team can’t turn around a slow start to the season, Ian O’Connor of the New York Post writes. The Knicks hold a 9-7 record, but the club is just 4-5 at home. The vast majority of the roster is back from last season’s playoff group.
- Hornets forward P.J. Washington (left elbow hyperextension) has been upgraded to doubtful for Monday’s game against the Wizards, the team announced on social media. Washington has missed nine straight games due to the injury. He returned to practice last Tuesday.