Denial Ain’t Just a River in Egypt Award: Washington Wizards
No, they didn’t trade
Bradley Beal. Why would they, when they’re just four games out of the play-in? Alas, in Washington, there is no higher goal than this, continuing an unbroken two-decade streak of going all-in on teams that weren’t even good. The Wizards do hope to use their full midlevel exception to further their pursuit of a 37-45 play-in berth next season, and so their only trade sent out a 21-year-old wing to cut some payroll for 2021-22.
Every trade deadline that passes without Washington acknowledging reality only delays the inevitable, while also sinking its eventual return on any possible Beal trade. This is unfortunate because a Beal trade is the Wizards’ only realistic pathway to being sustainably good at any point in the next half-decade. Alas, by the time Washington realizes this, it will be next year’s trade deadline, and Beal will be a rental.
This is the most important attribute in any front office: Honesty in front of the mirror. Everyone wants to see the glass as overflowing with water, but good organizations restrain themselves enough to acknowledge reality and react accordingly. In Washington, they ignore the fact that the glass is only overflowing because they’re tipping it sideways.