A 2021 offseason preview for the Washington Wizards

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.

Salary-cap situation

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)

• Bradley Beal ($33,724,200)
• Davis Bertans ($16,000,000)
• Thomas Bryant ($8,666,667)
• Rui Hachimura ($4,916,160)
• Deni Avdija ($4,692,840)
• Chandler Hutchison ($4,019,459)
• Total: $116,230,472
   

Player options

• None

Team options

• None
   

Non-guaranteed salary

• Daniel Gafford ($1,782,621)
• Anthony Gill ($1,517,981) ¹
• Caleb Homesley ($1,517,981)
• Total: $4,818,583
   

Restricted free agents

• Isaac Bonga ($2,079,826 qualifying offer / $2,079,826 cap hold): Bird rights
• Total (cap holds): $2,079,826
   

Two-way free agents

• Garrison Mathews ²
• Cassius Winston

Draft Picks

• No. 15 overall pick ($3,383,640)
• Total: $3,383,640

Extension-eligible Players

• Chandler Hutchison (rookie scale)
• Bradley Beal (veteran)
• Thomas Bryant (veteran)
• Daniel Gafford (veteran)
• Russell Westbrook (veteran)

Unrestricted free agents / other cap holds

• Ian Mahinmi ($23,175,077): Bird rights ³
• Robin Lopez ($8,760,000): Non-Bird rights
• Ish Smith ($7,800,000): Early Bird rights
• Alex Len ($1,669,178): Non-Bird rights
• Raul Neto ($1,669,178): Non-Bird rights
• Shabazz Napier ($1,669,178): Early Bird rights ³
• Ty Lawson ($1,669,178): Non-Bird rights ³
• Ramon Sessions ($1,669,178): Non-Bird rights ³
• Total: $48,080,967
   

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

• Mid-level exception: $9,536,000 ⁴
• Bi-annual exception: $3,732,000 ⁴
• Trade exception: $2,161,920
• Trade exception: $1,000,000

Footnotes 

1. Gill’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after Aug. 7.
2. Because he has been on a two-way contract with the Wizards for two seasons, Mathews is ineligible to sign another two-way deal with Washington.
3. The cap holds for these players remain on the Wizards’ books from a prior season because they haven’t been renounced. They can’t be used in a sign-and-trade deal.
4. These are projected values. If the Wizards approach or cross the tax line, they may forfeit these exceptions and instead gain access to the taxpayer mid-level exception ($5.9 million).

Salary and cap information from Basketball Insiders, RealGM, and ESPN was used in the creation of this post.