Tier four: The should-be-rebuilding
12. Washington Wizards
Last season: 32-50, 11th in Eastern Conference
Notable additions: Rui Hachimura, Davis Bertans, CJ Miles
Notable subtractions: Tomas Satoransky, Bobby Portis, Trevor Ariza, Jeff Green, Dwight Howard, Jabari Parker
There is one reason, and one reason only, that the Washington Wizards sneak in ahead of the Eastern Conference’s bottom-feeders; Bradley Emmanuel Beal. Last season, with John Wall playing just 32 games and with little support from the rest of the roster, Beal almost single-handedly led the Wizards to 32 wins and a modicum of respect. By keeping him, Washington has locked themselves into a similar output this season while locking themselves out of a total rebuild.
Is that the right long-term decision? Probably not. But, in the short term, it should see the Wizards remain a step ahead of the East’s star-less, rebuilding franchises. Beal averaged 25.6 points and 5.5 assists per game last season, thriving in a high-volume role that Wall’s presence had never allowed for him before.
The rest of the roster around him remains almost bare. Re-signing Thomas Bryant was a savvy move after a breakout season, while CJ Miles and Davis Bertans have proven to be solid contributors with other teams. Outside of them, though, there are still a lot of holes to be filled.
It’s hard to know how the front office will go about filling those holes, as Tommy Sheppard has only just been named permanent GM after Ernie Grunfeld‘s firing in early April. Without knowing much about the new face in the front office, it’s hard to know what the long-term vision of the franchise is. Will they hold onto Beal and try to re-tool on the fly, or will they trade him and commit to a lengthy rebuild?
At this stage, it sounds like they’ll keep their superstar guard, hence their place in these rankings. If Beal is traded, though, they could slide into a contest with the Hornets for the last place in the East.