Wizards offseason recap: Can Beal be the real deal?
With the bulk of NBA free agency in the books, USA TODAY Sports explores how all the offseason moves will alter each team as we look ahead to the 2016-17 season.
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Projected starting five: Washington Wizards
(Statistics from 2015-16 season)
- John Wall - Points: 19.9, assists: 10.2, rebounds: 4.9, steals: 1.9, field goal percentage: 42.4%
- Bradley Beal (55 games played) - Points: 17.4, rebounds: 3.4, assists: 2.9, steals: 1.0, field goal percentage: 44.9%
- Otto Porter - Points: 11.6, rebounds: 5.6, assists: 1.6, steals: 1.4, field goal percentage: 47.3%
- Markieff Morris (with Phoenix and Washington) - Points: 12.0, rebounds: 5.5, assists: 1.9, steals: 0.9, field goal percentage: 42.5%
- Marcin Gortat - Points: 13.5, rebounds: 9.9, assists: 1.4, blocks: 1.3, field goal percentage: 56.7%
Added - Scott Brooks (head coach), Beal (re-signed), Marcus Thornton (re-signed), Ian Mahinmi, Trey Burke, Andrew Nicholson, Daniel Ochefu, Jason Smith, Tomas Satoransky
Lost - Randy Wittman (head coach), Alan Anderson, Jared Dudley, Drew Gooden, Garrett Temple, Ramon Sessions, Nene, JJ Hickson (unsigned), Gary Neal (unsigned)
Biggest acquisition - Brooks
Brooks heads to Washington with a 338-207 (62.0%) record, a Coach of the Year award (2009-10), five postseason appearances and one NBA Finals trip during his seven-year stint with Oklahoma City. He has a proven track record of player development (albeit with top-tier talents Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden) and, all in all, should be a significant upgrade over Wittman.
Biggest departure - Dudley
The 31-year-old was a primary contributor as a stretch-four and shot a team-high 42.0% from beyond the arc (eighth in the NBA) last year, his lone season in Washington. An unselfish, veteran locker room leader, his absence will be felt.
X factor - Beal
Set aside any question marks about his on-court chemistry with Wall. And forget that he missed 81 regular-season games in his first four years with recurring stress reactions in his right fibula, as well as wrist, ankle, toe and pelvis ailments. With a five-year, $128 million contract inked, Beal is locked in as a franchise cornerstone.
When healthy, the former No. 3 overall pick (2012) has shown flashes of All-Star potential, most notably during the Wizards' 2015 playoff run, where he averaged 23.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 2.3 three-pointers (36.5%) in 10 games. For a team that took a step in the wrong direction last season after two straight trips to the Eastern Conference semis, their $128 million man needs to be healthy and in top form.
Offseason grade - B
Check out our other offseason recaps: Atlanta • Boston • Brooklyn • Charlotte • Chicago • Cleveland • Dallas • Denver • Detroit • Golden State • Houston• Indiana • L.A. Clippers • L.A. Lakers • Memphis • Miami • Milwaukee • Minnesota • New Orleans • New York • Oklahoma City • Orlando • Philadelphia • Phoenix • Portland • Sacramento • San Antonio • Toronto • Utah
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