Washington Wizards

Russell Westbrook's first season with the Los Angeles Lakers went about as poorly as could be expected.

But his former teammate with the Washington Wizards, Bradley Beal, appeared on JJ Redick's The Old Man and the Three podcast Thursday and offered his take on what it was like playing with Westbrook (36:40 mark):

One, he's an amazing teammate. He's the complete opposite of the picture everybody kind of paints him to be, at least character-wise. If you're his teammate he rides for you. ... He rides for his guys; he loves his team. That's what he's all about, even the staff. It's a respect factor, from top down. And I enjoyed playing with him. We knew what we were getting in practice, and in game, it's the same guy. He would go hard in practice, pushing everybody. He'd push me. ... That part of him is phenomenal.

"[Russell Westbrook] is the complete opposite of the picture everybody kind of paints him to be, at least character-wise... You're his teammate, he rides for you. He doesn't give a damn if you're on the other team."

— Bradley Beal

(via @OldManAndThree)pic.twitter.com/ySOAPGlZit

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 6, 2022

Beal also noted that Westbrook shared a similar trait to Paul Pierce, who loved his teammates but wouldn't interact with them in the same way once they were on a different team.

And as for the criticism that was leveled against Westbrook in his first season with the Lakers: "It's more magnified because he's in L.A.," Beal said.

There's little doubt that Westbrook has been a poor fit alongside LeBron James. Both have traditionally operated best with the ball in their hands, and Westbrook was always going to have to defer to James in that regard once he was traded to the Lakers.

The issue is that Westbrook is a poor three-point shooter who doesn't consistently play solid defense. His value throughout his career came via attacking the basket and creating open looks for his teammates. In a starting spot for the Lakers, it's a role he simply isn't needed to fill, diminishing his effectiveness.

There are two solutions: The obvious one, which would be to trade him, is complicated by his $47 million salary. And then there is the more contentious potential solution, which would be to bring him off the bench to stagger his minutes with James.

It's hard to imagine that a former MVP such as Westbrook, at 33, would happily welcome the second option. But it's the most logical way to ensure he can play to his strengths while allowing James and Anthony Davis to have more complementary pieces on the floor with them.

Perhaps a new head coach in Darvin Ham and a new offensive system will help. The Lakers appear set to give the Westbrook experiment another try this season:

Darvin Ham said Russell Westbrook is “a Los Angeles Laker and I’m not mad at that.” Said tonight shows that Westbrook will thrive in the Lakers 4-out, 1-in system.

— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) October 4, 2022

Darvin Ham on Russell Westbrook: “He’s ours. We love him. And we want him to do well. … It’s been a great camp for him.”

— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) October 4, 2022

It wasn't an issue in Washington, where Beal and Westbrook's games more naturally meshed, given that Beal had spent nearly his entire career playing with a traditional point guard in John Wall up to that point. In Los Angeles, the situation is simply far more complicated.

Bradley Beal has spent his entire NBA career with the Washington Wizards and decided to keep it that way this offseason when he agreed to a five-year supermax contract after opting out of the final year of his previous deal.

But he at least considered what it would be like leaving.

"I was definitely like being human and thinking about it," he said during a discussion with JJ Redick for The Old Man & The Three podcast. "I was thinking about what it would be like on the other side and different teams and seeing what was available for me. I did do that. And, like I said, the market was what it was and it wasn't too promising. It wasn't necessarily where I wanted to go, what I want to do."

Brad Beal on returning to the Wizards @RealDealBeal23 pic.twitter.com/FS9IX6Hr3V

— JJ Redick (@jj_redick) October 5, 2022

Redick also asked if he has ever considered leaving the Wizards and perhaps teaming up with another star, and Beal said "for sure" while explaining that part of the concern would be his landing spot giving up too much in a trade to remain competitive even after acquiring him.

There wasn't much drama with Beal this offseason, as he agreed to the $251 million supermax contract early and didn't drag out his decision.

The money surely played a factor, as Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington explained in June that the supermax from the Wizards was approximately $64 million more than another team could have offered.

Beal specifically mentioning the market plays into that assumption, and it was surely hard to turn that type of contract down even if Washington is coming off a 35-47 season and hasn't made it past the second round of the playoffs since selecting the guard with the No. 3 overall pick of the 2012 NBA draft.

The Florida product dealt with injury concerns last season on his way to just 40 games, but other teams likely wouldn't have hesitated to sign a 29-year-old who scored 31.3 points per game during the 2020-21 campaign.

He is a three-time All-Star who can take over games as a scorer and hit from the outside but hasn't been much of a factor in the postseason due to Washington's mediocre record during his career.

Perhaps Beal could have looked to change that by signing elsewhere, but he is focused on bringing a winner to Washington in the next stage of his career.

Washington Wizards power forward Kristaps Porzingis is looking to prove people wrong during the 2022-23 season.

In an interview with Ava Wallace of the Washington Post, Porzingis said he was miffed by ESPN ranking him No. 86 on its list of the top 100 players in the NBA.

Regarding the perceived slight, Porzingis said: "Especially this year, I'm coming in with a chip on my shoulder because of the ESPN rank, the this, that, it’s kind of—OK. I use it as gasoline, as energy. I'm looking forward to reminding everybody what I can do on both ends of the floor."

Despite being only 27 years of age, Porzingis has been in the NBA since 2015, which was when the New York Knicks made him the No. 4 overall pick.

The 7'3" Latvian did some great things in New York, including being named an All-Star in 2017-18 when he averaged 22.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game. His season was cut short after 48 games due to a torn ACL, however, and he missed the entire 2018-19 season as well.

Porzingis was traded to the Dallas Mavericks and averaged 20.0 points and 8.8 rebounds per game in three seasons with the team before getting traded to Washington prior to last season's deadline.

The trade came as something of a surprise, especially since the Mavs only received Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans in return.

Porzingis instantly fit in well with the Wiz, averaging 22.1 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.7 three-pointers made and 1.5 blocks in 17 games.

The 2022-23 campaign will mark Porzingis' first full season in Washington, and he will likely be leaned on heavily as the interior complement to star guard Bradley Beal.

While the Wizards have missed the playoffs in three of the past four seasons, they have a talented squad capable of contending for a postseason spot in the Eastern Conference this season, especially if Porzingis succeeds at proving his doubters wrong.

When Kyle Kuzma was traded from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Washington Wizards in August 2021, some fans of the Purple and Gold were hard on the 27-year-old, and the narratives surrounding his exit from the franchise put him in a "dark place."

"How people perceived me ... it kind of hurt me a little bit," Kuzma told reporters Friday.

Kuzma's comments come after John Wall, a former Wizard, detailed his mental health struggles in a Players' Tribune essay titled, "I'm Still Here." Other NBA players, including DeMar DeRozan and Kevin Love, have also been vocal about their mental health.

The Brooklyn Nets selected Kuzma 27th overall in the 2017 NBA draft. They traded him and Brook Lopez to the Lakers on June 22, 2017, in exchange for D'Angelo Russell and Timofey Mozgov.

Kuzma spent the first four years of his career in L.A. and played an important role off the bench for the Lakers during their run to the NBA Finals in 2020. In 61 regular-season games, he averaged 12.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists while shooting 43.6 percent from the floor and 31.6 percent from deep.

In 21 playoff games, he averaged 10 points and 3.1 rebounds while shooting 43 percent from the floor and 31.3 percent from deep as the Lakers went on to win the title.

His best season with the Purple and Gold came in 2018-19, when he averaged 18.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 70 games, including 68 starts, while shooting 45.6 percent from the floor and 30.3 percent from deep.

From 2017-19, Kuzma saw much more time in the starting lineup as Anthony Davis didn't join the franchise and take over his position until 2019-20.

Now in Washington, Kuzma has been a key piece in the starting rotation and has revived his career. In 66 games last season, all starts, he averaged 17.1 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists while shooting 45.2 percent from the floor and 34.1 percent from deep.

In March, he alluded to his time in Washington being better than his time in Los Angeles, via The Athletic's Josh Robbins:

"It's been a great change of pace for me, a change of scenery. I did as much as I (could) to maximize [myself] when I was with my former team, with changing my role every single year for the betterment of the team and trying to fit in with great players. But here, it’s been a lot different, because I don't necessarily have to do that. My role has changed here. If you think about the first 25 games, I was in a different type of role than I am now: more scoring and just doing more things with the ball. It's just great to be in a situation where I can just be myself and do what I do, and not dummy myself down.

"It's great, because I'm not looking over my shoulder. Every time I'm making a mistake, I'm not looking at my head coach. I can focus on the game. Obviously, I don't want to make mistakes. But that's a part of it when you're growing. I'm 26, but I'm really growing."

Entering his second year with the Wizards, Kuzma has the opportunity to continue forging his own path out of the shadow of Davis and LeBron James. He may even see one of his best seasons yet alongside Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis.

After languishing as part of a middling Washington Wizards team last season, Kyle Kuzma is ready to get back to the postseason.

"It’s all about getting to the playoffs. That’s my mindset," Kuzma told Complex's Mike DeStefano of his goals for next season. "The NBA’s always better when you can win. We probably had one of the more talented teams that Wizard fans and the DMV’s seen in recent years and we have to figure it out, take that leap, and start playing winning basketball. That’s the most important thing that we have to do."

Kuzma had perhaps the best individual season of his career in 2021-22, averaging 17.1 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists. His success did not translate to wins for the Wizards, who finished 35-47 and were eight games removed from even reaching the play-in.

An extended injury absence from Bradley Beal did not help matters, but this was a largely middling group of veterans performing almost exactly to their talent level.

Washington took a big swing at the deadline to acquire Kristaps Porzingis, and the impact of that deal may be felt this season. If Porzingis can find the two-way form he's lost in recent seasons amid knee issues and Beal resumes playing like an All-NBA star, it's reasonable to expect the Wizards to compete for a low-end playoff spot.

That said, there's not much meat beyond a first-round exit on the bone here.

Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma has not been shy about displaying his sense of fashion in recent years, and it landed him a spot walking the runway during Puma's show at New York Fashion Week.

Kuzma wore a unique all-black outfit that included a top, a hoodie and a jacket that he wore around his waist and went down to his feet.

While the 6'9" forward took to Instagram to express his excitement over his collaboration with Puma, NBA twitter wasn't as kind and trolled Kuzma over his attire:

Would Kuz have been more useful to the Lakers in this outfit than nvm https://t.co/VV75jZ6HwB

— Anthony F. Irwin (@AnthonyIrwinLA) September 14, 2022

I'm dying. https://t.co/bHJTCvvgQ3

— Andy Bailey (@AndrewDBailey) September 14, 2022

https://twitter.com/AmNotEvan/status/1570180733360037889

https://twitter.com/iam_johnw/status/1570171220628480000

😂😂 too much money to be dressing like dis https://t.co/LCxejge3Bv

— U N C ⛽️ (@UncTheBeast_06) September 14, 2022

Kuzma famously wore an oversized pink sweater to a game during early last season, which drew a ton of jokes from his NBA peers.

The 27-year-old appears poised to show off a few more interesting looks during the 2022-23 season.

The Washington Wizards missed the playoffs last season, but they have high hopes for the 2022-23 campaign with a fully healthy Bradley Beal available.

Washington's starting five should look a lot better this season following the addition of former Denver Nuggets veteran Will Barton and a full season of Kristaps Porzingis, who was acquired from the Dallas Mavericks last year.

In addition, the Wizards selected Johnny Davis 10th overall in the 2022 NBA draft out of Wisconsin, and he's slated to be the team's starting point guard to accompany Beal at shooting guard.

Davis had an impressive 2021-22 season for the Badgers, averaging 19.7 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 31 games while shooting 42.7 percent from the floor and 30.6 percent from deep.

The Wizards will be hoping his game translates at the next level, or they'll be spending another season searching for that extra piece to put alongside Beal.

This will also mark Washington's second season under head coach Wes Unseld Jr., who was hired ahead of the 2021-22 season to replace Scottie Brooks. If his roster can remain healthy, he'll be expected to guide the team to the postseason.

All that said, here's a look at Washington's 2022-23 schedule, championship odds, top matchups and season forecast.

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2022-23 Wizards Schedule Details

Season Opener: Oct. 19 at Indiana Pacers

Championship Odds: +16000 (via FanDuel)

Full Schedule: NBA.com

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Top Matchups

Dallas Mavericks (First Game at American Airlines Center: Jan. 24)

While the Mavericks visited the Wizards toward the end of last season, Porzingis will make his highly anticipated return to Dallas on Jan. 24 in what should be an exciting matchup.

The Wizards acquired Porzingis and a second-round pick in the 2022 NBA draft from the Mavericks last season in exchange for Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans.

Porzingis had spent two-and-a-half seasons in Dallas before being moved to Washington, and a lot of his time with the Mavericks was marred by injuries. In 17 games with the Wizards last season, he averaged 22.1 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.5 blocks.

The 27-year-old will be looking to prove to the Mavericks that they made a mistake by trading him, though it seems as if he's a better fit in Washington anyway.

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Boston Celtics (First Game: Oct. 30)

One of the most difficult matchups of the season for the Wizards will come against the Boston Celtics. However, it's always a good battle between lifelong friends Beal and Jayson Tatum, who grew up together in St. Louis.

The Wizards defeated the Celtics in their first two meetings of the 2021-22 campaign. There's no reason to believe they can't compete with the reigning Eastern Conference champions.

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Season Forecast

Health will be a huge factor for the Wizards during the 2022-23 campaign, and it could be a determining factor in whether the team reaches the playoffs.

Beal missed half of the 2021-22 campaign after undergoing surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left wrist. Porzingis, meanwhile, has struggled with injuries throughout his career, and Kuzma also missed time last season because of injury.

Making sure Beal, Porzingis and Kuzma remain healthy will need to be a priority for Unseld, and if that means resting them every so often, then so be it.

If the Wizards can remain healthy, they could compete for one of the lower seeds in the Eastern Conference playoffs. They could land anywhere from the sixth seed to the eighth seed.

Record Prediction: 46-36

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Veteran guard Delon Wright reportedly agreed to a two-year, $16 million deal with the Washington Wizards on Thursday, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Wright set career highs in all of the major categories in 2020-21 as his minutes climbed the highest they had ever been. He averaged 10.2 points, 4.4 assists and 1.6 steals while shooting 46.3 percent from the floor and 37.2 percent from beyond the arc.

The 30-year-old didn't get to enjoy a lot of winning, though. He started the season with the rebuilding Detroit Pistons and then moved to the Sacramento Kings, which once again missed the playoffs.

The Atlanta Hawks acquired Wright last August, which put him back on a contending team, albeit in a lesser role behind Trae Young and Kevin Huerter in the backcourt.

In 77 games with Atlanta, the 6'5" guard averaged 4.4 points and 2.4 assists in 18.9 minutes on the floor. Per Basketball Reference, his 10.3 percent usage rate was his lowest ever and well below his career average (15.6 percent).

If defense to offense real quick was a person 🔥 @delonwright x @Verizon pic.twitter.com/b2c6P0D9mO

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) May 20, 2022

Following his team's first-round playoff exit, Wright told reporters he was interested in re-signing, and The Athletic's Chris Kirschner reported May 10 the feeling was mutual.

It wasn't hard to see why the Hawks wanted the 2015 first-round pick back, though it obviously didn't come to fruition.

Wright is a steady playmaker, averaging 5.2 assists to 1.7 turnovers per 36 minutes across his career. He's also a good enough shooter (35.4 percent on threes) to keep opposing teams honest and a dogged defender (2.0 steals per 36) on the other end of the floor.

Perhaps most importantly, Wright understands his strengths and is content to remain a backup. The NBA is a star-driven league, but the right rotation pieces are critical toward assembling a playoff roster.

Wright will provide plenty of experience and steady production. The Wizards have been busy adding backcourt help for Bradley Beal this offseason, with Monte Morris and Will Barton also added via trade.

Guard Bradley Beal is set to remain with the Washington Wizards for the long haul after agreeing to a lucrative five-year, $251 million supermax contract extension, his agent Mark Bartelstein told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

All-Star guard Bradley Beal has agreed to a five-year, $251 million maximum contract to stay with the Washington Wizards, his agent Mark Bartelstein of @PrioritySports tells ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 30, 2022

Beal had become an unrestricted free agent after opting out of the final year of his contract with the Wizards.

The 29-year-old Beal has developed into one of the NBA's best offensive shooting guards since the Wizards selected him with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft out of the University of Florida.

During his 10-year career, Beal has earned three All-Star nods and boasts averages of 22.1 points, 4.2 assists, 4.1 rebounds, 2.2 three-pointers made and 1.1 steals per game in 645 contests.

He has also been a relatively efficient scorer, shooting 45.6 percent from the field and 37.2 percent from beyond the arc.

After averaging over 22.0 points per game in three consecutive seasons, Beal began to enter elite territory in 2019-20 when he averaged 30.5 points per game, which was a career high to that point.

He got even better the following year, averaging 31.3 points while shooting a career-best 48.5 percent from the floor. Beal also received his first All-NBA selection that year, making the All-NBA Third Team.

Expectations were through the roof for Beal entering last season, but a wrist injury that required surgery limited him to a career-low 40 games.

Even when he played, Beal had his worst scoring output in years, averaging 23.2 points and 1.6 three-pointers made per game. He also shot a career-worst 30 percent from three-point range.

Beal did average a career-high 6.6 assists per game, however, illustrating the lack of help he had in Washington's backcourt.

While Beal never publicly asked for a trade or expressed a desire to leave Washington, there was some speculation that he would leave for greener pastures.

In addition to the Wizards failing to provide him with a quality backcourt running mate, the team hasn't enjoyed much success over the years, reaching the playoffs just once in the past four seasons and not winning a playoff series since 2017.

Despite that, Beal remains committed to making the Wizards a contender, and re-signing with the franchise is a move that could potentially lure in other quality players to Washington via free agency.

The stage is set for Bradley Beal to sign a max contract when NBA free agency begins Thursday.

Beal's agent, Mark Bartelstein, told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski on Wednesday that his client has declined his $36.4 million player option with the Washington Wizards for the 2022-23 season.

This certainly isn't a surprise since Beal is now eligible to sign a supermax deal with another team for four years or with the Wizards for five years.

Here are some instant thoughts on Beal declining his option to become a free agent.

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Beal Should Explore His Options

Let's get one thing out of the way to start: Bradley Beal isn't going anywhere.

Wojnarowski reported last week on SportsCenter that Beal is "very likely" to sign a supermax extension with the Wizards.

Beal, who said during the season it was "fair" to assume he was leaning toward re-signing with Washington, told The Athletic's Josh Robbins on June 18 that he had already made up his mind but wasn't going to disclose it at that point.

But as he prepares to enter his 11th season in the NBA, what's the harm that could come from Beal at least looking at other teams? The Wizards want to keep him, and they aren't such a hot free-agent destination that they would pull their offer if he didn't immediately agree to a deal.

Of course, the biggest problem with exploring options this offseason is so few teams have cap space to add a supermax salary.

Updated 2022 cap space projections:

1. Knicks - $33.5M
2. Spurs - $32.6M
3. Magic - $27.9M
4. Pacers - $25.1M
5. Pistons - $21.3M (before re-signing Marvin Bagley)

Detroit is obviously very fluid, as we've seen over the last week.

— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) June 29, 2022

It's not hard to see why Beal would want to take a deal from the Wizards. Assuming he re-signs on a supermax, the total value will be for $248 million over five years. The total value of a four-year contract from another team would be about $184 million.

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Wizards Putting Beal in Position to Succeed

Outside of needing to re-sign Beal, the biggest question for the Wizards this offseason was how they would upgrade their point guard position.

They found an answer earlier Wednesday when The Athletic's Shams Charania reported the Wizards were nearing a deal with the Denver Nuggets for Monte Morris and Will Barton in exchange for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Ish Smith.

Morris had a strong 2021-22 season as the Nuggets starting point guard with Jamal Murray recovering from a torn ACL. The 27-year-old averaged 12.6 points and 4.4 assists per game in 75 appearances.

Beal is not as his best as a facilitator running the entire offense. He's a good enough passer to make it work, but having a traditional point guard like Morris should make things easier on him.

Morris is a capable defensive player, leading all qualified point guards in defensive real plus-minus last season (5.89), and is a 39.4 percent shooter from three-point range in his career.

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Supermax Would Represent Significant Risk for Wizards

Even if Beal signs the five-year supermax extension with the Wizards, there's nothing stopping him from potentially seeking a trade at some point in the future if the organization continues to struggle.

The Wizards haven't finished over .500 since 2017-18 (43-39) with just one playoff appearance since then in 2020-21.

Beal would hardly be the first NBA star to sign a long-term extension with a team only to decide later he wants something else.

But there's also something else to consider: What if Beal's play continues to decline?

Beal is only 29 and should have at least a few more years in his prime. He does have durability concerns that could become a big problem the older he gets. The three-time All-Star has missed 69 games over the past three seasons, including 42 in 2021-22 because of a torn ligament in his left wrist that required surgery.

Despite posting back-to-back seasons averaging at least 30 points per game in 2019-20 and 2020-21, Beal's shooting efficiency has dipped in recent years. He was a 39.3 percent three-point shooter over his first six seasons from 2012-13 to 2017-18.

Since the start of the 2018-19 campaign, Beal has made 34.5 percent of his three-point attempts. His effective field-goal percentage hasn't been higher than 54.0 in a single season since a career-high 56.6 percent mark in 2016-17.

It's not hard to envision a scenario in which a supermax contract for Beal would be an albatross for the franchise very soon.