On paper at the time of the trade you could completely understand what josh had done here. He received a 2K stud in Lavine. However the game isn’t always played on paper, and the Lavine injury clouds turned into a storm. Washington was without Lavine for some time and he was not able to suit up during the playoffs when it really mattered.

If the Wizards had a healthy Lavine things might have turned out a little different for Washington. Lavine is still under contract so hopefully he can recoup some of his value and also the faith his GM has in him.

Other Notable Trades:

Clippers receive:  Aaron Wiggins.

I am unsure if the Wizards got this person for nothing, or potentially it was something owed, but either way Aaron Wiggins getting sent to the Wizards has panned out quite nicely. Wiggins has been an absolute sniper and I believe has just been re signed to a very friendly contract.

There were a few other notable trades, however all they enables Josh to do was complete the deals for Lebron and Lavine. So most if not all the pieces id be mentioning aren’t on the team anymore.

Free Agency:

Free agency for The Wizards will be interesting. I will assume they will resign Lebron and Wiggins is an RFA so they will keep him. If my maths is correct that will mean they have 10 players under contract.

Delon Wright, Tristan Thompson and Eric Gordon will all enter free agency as UFA and Josh will most likely need to put some bids on to keep them.

At the moment, still with some UFA contracts on their books, the Wizards are almost 15 million over the hard cap second apron, so I would assume that Josh will be looking for some juicy minimum contracts to round out his roster. As it sits, I would say he needs some serviceable forwards and big men.

Star(s):

Lebron James

In the 42 games that Lebron played for the Wizards he had averages of 29.1 points, 8.8 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 2.9 stocks. This was along with percentages of .56 from the field, .42 from three and .80 from the line. His averages throughout the playoffs were fairly similar to these ones too.

We all know what Lebron James is and what he is capable of and this lived up to the expectation. I think it goes without saying that barring a few potential exceptions, that whatever team Lebron is on he will be in this category.

Flop:

Zach Lavine

Flop is a harsh word, but for the reasons mentioned above, Zach Lavine would have to be the one to fit the category. Also as mentioned he could of really propelled this team to another level, however he wasn’t on the court when it mattered. It appears that Lavines value has never been lower, and is still locked in to a substantial contract. This aside he will always be a 2K darling when healthy, so lets hope he can regain his value and get back into the GMs good graces.

Draft Grades:

Pick 29 – Dillon Jones

Overall Grade: B

Washing made a solid pick taking Jones who was taken a few picks ahead in the NBA. When I spoke to Josh about his selection, he basically said that he trusted what the NBA OKC do and went with that. Jones had a break out year as a do it all player. He is built like a tank and can potentially play that sought after point forward position.

His first preseason game today he did not disappoint, putting 15, 5 and 3 on great shooting. I am sure josh is thrilled with that and hopes he can continue. He may not be in for a big role in his rookie season but only time will tell.

The Future:

The future plan for the Wizards is quite simple and very plain to see… ‘WINNING’. I am sure Josh would agree, that with how the team is currently set up that anything less that winning is a failure. He will attack next season with his three headed monster of Lebron, Booker and Lavine (health permitted).

I cant see josh trading away from this strategy as I know he was left more than unsatisfied with how his last endeavor ended. Fingers crossed he can stay healthy and if so I am sure we will be seeing the Washington Wizards at the business end of the season. Having the talent he does at the top end of the roster, it is also a luxury that he can let some of his younger guys develop and potentially fill in when needed.