No. 13 – Washington Wizards
Remember when Bradley Beal was once a trade candidate for the Charlotte Hornets? Washington decided to hang on to him, but the Beal trade rumors just won’t seem to stop. He’s coming off an incredible season, but is playing with a significantly weak supporting cast that won’t take him very far in the Eastern Conference, especially with John Wall injured.
Washington has had an interesting summer, adding Rui Hachimura and Admiral Schofield in the draft, while re-signing Thomas Bryant during free agency. They also picked up some solid players in Ish Smith and C.J. Miles, but also lost key contributors in Bobby Portis and Tomas Satoransky.
I just don’t think the Wizards have enough to compete for a playoff spot this year. Beal is going to have an enormous workload this season and will be counted on to provide a huge chunk of the scoring. Beal won’t be able to do it alone. They’ll need some big improvements from a player like Troy Brown and a potential resurgence from Isaiah Thomas.
In the end, Washington may regret not putting Beal next to the right talent, just like the Hornets did with Kemba Walker. Beal will be a free agent in 2021 and could very well search for a more appealing situation elsewhere as he enters the prime of his career.