Despite enduring plenty of Bradley Beal trade speculation before and during the 2020-21 season, the Wizards never wavered on their stated plan to build around Beal. And the All-Star guard didn’t force the Wizards' hand by asking to be dealt, even after a dismal first two-thirds of the season that saw Washington get off to a 17-32 start.
Still, with the Wizards out of the playoff – and play-in – picture in early April, it looked like it might just be a matter of time until Washington had to start seriously considering major offseason changes to the roster, the coaching staff, and even the front office. But a 17-6 finish to the regular season and a win in their second play-in game gave the Wizards a glimmer of hope heading into the summer, even if their playoff run was short-lived.
That run in April and May wasn’t enough to save Scott Brooks‘ job, however. The head coach and the Wizards were unable to agree to terms on a new contract, leaving Washington in the market for a new coach, with Wes Unseld Jr. and Jamahl Mosley among a handful of finalists.
As for whether the Wizards' second-half success was enough to stave off major front-office and roster changes, that remains to be seen. But for now, it looks like the plan is to hope a new coach and some tweaks to the roster will help buoy a core group led by Beal and Russell Westbrook to greater heights in 2021-22.
The Wizards’ offseason plan:
As long as Beal and Westbrook remain on the Wizards’ books, Washington's options for revamping the roster around them are somewhat limited. The star duo is earning a combined $78 million in 2021-22, over two-thirds of the projected $112 million cap.
Washington’s next two highest salaries belong to Davis Bertans ($16 million) and Thomas Bryant ($8.67 million), who would each likely be expendable in the right trade this offseason. Bertans’ contract, which still has four years on it, would be trickier to move than Bryant’s expiring deal.
It’ll be interesting to see whether Bryant is in the Wizards’ plans — he missed nearly all of the 2020-21 season with an ACL tear and might not be back to 100% by the fall. Daniel Gafford, who is on a minimum-salary contract, emerged as a legitimate option at the five in the spring, but the Wizards will need at least one more center with Alex Len and Robin Lopez facing free agency.
Besides Len and Lopez, the Wizards will have to make decisions on free-agent guards Ish Smith, Raul Neto and Garrison Mathews. All played roles in 2020-21 and would be worthwhile investments as long as their price tags remain modest.
However, re-signing more than one of their free agents, hanging onto their first-round pick and not dumping any contracts in trades could put the Wizards’ team salary pretty close to the tax line, preventing the Washington from making use of its full mid-level exception. Without that mid-level, Washington’s best hope of upgrading its roster will be on the trade market, with Rui Hachimura, Deni Avdija, the No. 15 pick and future first-rounders among the Wizards' most appealing assets.
It will be crucial this offseason to get a clear sense of where Beal stands. If the Wizards believe they can convince him to sign a contract extension this summer, or re-up with Washington in 2022, trading some of those young players and draft assets for a win-now piece might make sense. If Washington feels Beal’s commitment to D.C. isn’t iron-clad, hanging onto those assets – and potentially even shopping Beal before he reaches free agency – might be the right play.
Note: Our salary-cap projections are based on a presumed 3% increase, which would result in a $112.4 million cap for 2021-22.
Guaranteed Salary
Russell Westbrook ($44,211,146)
Player options
Team options
Non-guaranteed salary
Restricted free agents
Two-way free agents
Draft Picks
Extension-eligible Players
Unrestricted free agents / other cap holds
Offseason cap outlook
The Wizards’ seven guaranteed contracts, Gafford’s non-guaranteed salary, and the No. 15 pick add up to approximately $121 million in commitments for nine roster spots. That puts Washington’s team salary well over the cap.
The tax line projects to be in the $137 million range for 2021-22. Depending on how they fill out the back end of their roster, the Wizards could have just enough flexibility to make use of the full mid-level exception. If they take on any additional salary in trades or re-sign certain free agents, they’ll likely be limited to the taxpayer MLE.
Cap Exceptions Available
Footnotes
Salary and cap information from Basketball Insiders, RealGM, and ESPN was used in the creation of this post.
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