The Washington Wizards Disaster - What can teams learn for the future

The Washington Wizards had a great asset in the form of Bradley Beal but holding on to him and failing to build a team around him has now put the Washington Wizards in a bizarre situation. They got 4 first-round pick swaps from the Phoenix Suns and 6 second-round picks. They also got Chris Paul who the Wizards then traded for Jordan Poole, a protected first-round pick, and multiple future second-round picks. They also traded Kristaps Porzingas only for some role players and a second-round pick. So after gutting out their entire roster, the Wizards got a protected first-round pick, 4 first-round swaps, and 7-second picks. If the Washington Wizards had started the rebuild just two years ago, they would have got a huge haul for Bradley Beal instead of trading him for peanuts on the dollar and maybe could have become a contender in the Eastern Conference. So what can teams learn for the future after looking at the mess the Washington Wizards have made? How can the superteam era still exist in the NBA after the new CBA regulations? We have all of it explained in this article.

Building a Super-Team

Super teams or building dynasties will almost become impossible after the new CBA regulations as there are going to be severe restrictions for teams who cross the second apron which is $17.5 Million above the tax line so having two super max contracts or three max contract players can hurt the team in many ways. So the question is how can teams make a super team with two or more stars on their team 

1) Developing Draft Picks

One of the most important things teams might struggle with is developing their draft picks. Many
people say that the draft is all about luck but the Spurs got Dejounte Murray with the 29th Overall Pick and Gregg Popovich developed him into a great defensive point guard which helped Dejounte also become an All-Star in 2022. Another great example is the Miami Heat. They have successfully been able to develop undrafted players like Gabe Vincent, Caleb Martin, and Duncan Robinson into great core players for the team. One of the reasons the Heat made it into the NBA finals was that they had developed under-average players to play brilliantly in the postseason. Some teams have been picked in the lottery but have not had the best of luck or just have not been able to develop them. Teams like the Phoenix Suns or the Sacramento Kings have not been that good at developing talent from the NBA draft. If teams can develop talent with a little bit of luck, they could start the most important step toward building a super team

2) Add Good Depth Players

One of the biggest reasons teams like the Denver Nuggets or the Golden State Warriors won the NBA championships in the last two years respectively was because of good role players. We even saw the Los Angeles Lakers become great after the trade deadline because they traded Russell Westbrook for brilliant role players like Jarred Vanderbilt, Malik Beasley, and Mo Bamba. With these moves, not only did they improve their record but also made the conference finals where they ended up losing to the eventual NBA champions, the Denver Nuggets. So adding role players who can come off the bench and can help out the team's core players

3) Adding the Right Star Players around the team's Core

If a team can get the correct star player around their team's core players, they can really contend for an NBA championship. And honestly, this is the part where most teams fail to build a championship-caliber team. There are so many examples where teams both succeeded and failed. An example of a team that succeeded is the 2020-21 Milwaukee Bucks. They successfully built a team around Giannis by trading for Jrue Holiday and adding a good role player like Bobby Portis in free agency and they ended up defeating the Phoenix Suns in the NBA finals. Some teams like the Philadelphia 76ers and the Portland Trail Blazers have been unable to add the correct players with their franchise cornerstones, which ended up in disastrous situations. Philadelphia 76ers chose Tobias Harris over Jimmy Butler and now, Joel Embiid is left with only Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris's contract looks like one of the worst in the NBA. A team in a similar situation is the Portland Trail Blazers. They could not find a star to pair up with Damian Lillard and now Damian Lillard is requesting a trade from Portland.

What can teams learn from the Washington Wizards disaster?

        This teaches teams a lesson to sell their assets and start to rebuild with a new core at the right time. The best example of this could be the Utah Jazz. They understood after 3 years of playoff disappointment that it is time to trade their franchise cornerstones at the peak of their value. They traded Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves for 5 first-round picks, 2 first-round pick swaps, and 4 role players and they traded Donovan Mitchell to the Cleveland Cavaliers for 3 first-round picks, 2 first-round pick swaps, 2 role players, and an all-star in Lauri Markkanen. These trades have now put the Utah Jazz in a rebuild but this does help them to build a competitive roster around a new set of players. Teams can use both the Washington Wizards and Utah Jazz scenarios to know when to rebuild. But there are teams learning from these experiences like the Portland Trail Blazers. They are finally trying to trade Damian Lillard after he requested a trade and trying to rebuild. If you liked the article, leave your opinion in the comment section and share us with your friends