Josh Howard weighs in on the shock of going to the Washington Wizards

After establishing himself as an All-Star and averaging as high as 19.9 points per game as a starter for the Dallas Mavericks, Josh Howard was part of a team consistently vying for championships and making playoff appearances. 

However, his midseason trade to the Washington Wizards during the 2009-10 campaign was a stark shift. Joining a struggling franchise mired with controversies rather than focusing on winning, the 6'7" small forward quickly realized the challenges of being part of a depleted team—a transformative experience in his career.

Howard wasn't happy being a part of the Wizards 

Unfortunately for Josh, he joined the Wizards at a particularly tumultuous time, as the team had just endured the infamous Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton gun incident. While the situation was already highly publicized and embarrassing, Howard recently admitted to his dissatisfaction with how the franchise handled the fiasco.

Speaking on the "Knuckleheads Podcast," the one-time All-Star openly criticized the franchise's actions during that period, labeling their approach as "dumbs---," while expressing how much he learned from witnessing such dysfunction firsthand.

"The unfortunate thing was I didn't know the Wizards was at the other end of the pole as far as being a bad team 'cause I didn't pay attention to the other teams. So going to the organization, it was just like, 'S---, I gotta get ready to chance again.' And also the Gilbert Arenas situation was going on… and like they say the grass ain't green on the other side… it was straight bulls---," Howard said. "The sh*t they was doing compared to Clippers or Dallas, it's like, 'Bro you ain't gotta do all this dumbs---. Cut s---, man. Let's go win some games. It was a learning experience."

According to Josh, it was disappointing to see the franchise make minimal realistic efforts to improve their standing in the league, especially considering they had a roster with at least eight players capable of averaging double-digit points (in the latter campaign).

Howard left the Wizards quickly

During his time in the nation's capital, the forward played in only 22 games, starting 13 of them. With his playing time reducing so significantly, his scoring average, too, dropped to 8.4 points in the '10-11 season. It's safe to say that the morale and environment within the Wizards' origination seemed to take a toll on his love for the game.

Considering why Washington hasn't been able to achieve success post their '80s era, who knows, their internal working style and complexity might be the biggest villains after all.