Tim Bontemps is with ESPN now but used to write for the Washington Post, so when something happens right in his back yard, he’s all over it – and on Monday, Tim heaped nothing but praise on the Wizards’ new front office trio when he joined The Sports Junkies.
“Those are three really bright, experienced guys. I know Will (Dawkins) and Travis (Schlenk) well, and Michael Winger has been a well-respected executive for 20 years. From a talent standpoint, it’s about as good as a Wizards fan could hope for,” Bontemps said. “Those three guys are great, and Wizards fans should be optimistic, depending on what Ted Leonsis allows them to do.”
That is the big question, even if it’s been answered in kind.
“Now, it’s what we talked about when Tommy Sheppard was let go – will there be restrictions put on them by Ted Leonsis? Do they really have carte blanche to rebuild this team, or is there going to be a mandate to try to make the playoffs and be competitive?” Bontemps asked. “I suspect the former, and there will be significant changes over team – that’s why they brought these guys in. I think over the next month, we’ll get a much clearer view.”
Winger and Leonsis have both said that a complete overhaul is on the table, although it may be a last resort, but that latter phrase may just be lip service.
“I think that’s the expectation the way this thing will go. Given they had to go get guys out of great jobs in LA and Oklahoma City, you’d think they’d have the vision to do what they want to do,” Bontemps said. “Winger and Dawkins both worked for Sam Presti, and Clay Bennett is one of the best owners in the league because he empowers Sam Presti to do his job, and Sam does his job well. I would expect them to have a similar approach here; and given how stale things have been here, them coming to take the job means they’ve been given free reign to do what they need to do – and if they do, they can be very successful.”
So, then, what becomes of the albatross that is Bradley Beal’s deal? Is there a way to send him elsewhere?
“That’s a complicated question on a lot of fronts, because of the salary and no-trade clause; Beal and his reps have the hammer here, and could say they’re willing to waive the clause, but only for one or two teams,” Bontemps said. “That’s where it will be interesting to see what a deal ultimately looks like if it happens; in a situation like that, you’re limited in what you can get back, because you’re limited to negotiations with one or two teams that won’t give you a charity case.”
Of course, there could be more to the no-trade clause, like happens in baseball, but in Bontemps’ mind, the point of the clause is to be able to dictate where you want to go, and not just a blanket approval – so the Wizards “will be working from a pretty difficult negotiating position.”
Listen to Bontemps’ entire interview above, which also has some talk about the NBA Finals that could end tonight in Denver and Ja Morant's future!
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