The Action Network’s Matt Moore joined Grant & Danny to talk about the NBA Finals, which could end Monday night, but the guys had to sneak in a couple Wizards questions as well – and yes, there is legitimate reason for optimism in DC.
“I think so because you have a lot of smart people coming in; not that the old front office wasn’t but they were in tough positions due to some edicts from ownership,” Moore said. “There’s a lot of brainpower of pretty smart people in that room.”
The new front office has said that a full tear-down and rebuild is a ‘last resort,’ but to Moore, that should be mission number one if Ted Leonsis is ready for it.
“There’s a lot of talent on this roster to disperse, and what I mean by that is that you can start building long-term assets if you start to take this thing apart, but the question is what the pain threshold Ted Leonsis has in terms of competitiveness,” Moore said. “Are they ready to tear this thing down to the studs for a true rebuild? If so, this is a great opportunity, but if they keep trying to improve on the margins, they don’t have the infrastructure; the bones of the house aren’t there, so you have to tear it down to the ground, and if you do that, with the way these guys can manage the assets, you can have something pretty great there. You have to be willing to do that, because that’s your best path.”
That would likely start with a deal sending Bradley Beal out of town, but with a no-trade clause and an onerous contract on top of that, what could a Beal deal even look like?
“He’s going to want a big market, somewhere warm and nice, somewhere he can have an opportunity to win while making the same money,” Moore said. “You have to start there, but I think there is an opportunity to take long-term assets for him; if you take long-term picks or a real project approach of what you’re going to be able to get and you use that, you can figure it out.
The one idea that may work best? A three-way deal.
“A team that’s looking for immediate assets gets something from a contender, the contender gets the star in Beal, and you get the pieces from both of them,” Moore said. “That’s a pretty solid approach to me, and how you can start building things up. I don’t think you have to take a bath on it, but you have to be in the mind of not trying to get something for next year – start targeting things maybe like four years away.”
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