Was going all-in on Kevin Durant the wrong move for Washington?
The Washington Wizards aren't a very good basketball team. They're 15-17, and if the season ended today they would not qualify for the playoffs. Twenty two teams have a better offense, 18 are more stout on defense and only two teams are less impressive on the glass.
For an organization that entered this season with high expectations, it's all so upsetting. But was it ever unavoidable? Was the strategy to go all-in for Kevin Durant a mistake? Probably not, because he's worth all the pain in the world, but SB Nation's Bullets Forever explores what life would be like if the Wizards didn't put all their eggs in one basket:
Ernie Grunfeld's front office has made a series of bad bets while skipping out on good ones such that the Wizards now find themselves short-stacked. Grunfeld's refusal to acquire players with contracts that extend beyond this season has been painfully unwise. The theory, ostensibly, is that any money tied up this summer could gum up the Wizards pursuit of Durant. But such thinking fails to acknowledge the value (and marketability for trade) of good players on cheap contracts, as well as the impact of the imminent spike in league revenues (and the salary cap) from the new media deal. Last summer's pot odds provided very little downside to being aggressive. Instead, Grunfeld folded strong hands. The Wizards brought in a collective of low-impact veterans on one-year deals, and in doing so, missed inexpensive opportunities to add to the long-term core. Consider Toronto center Bismack Biyombo: His cringeworthy offense may evoke former Wizard Ben Wallace's, but his defense and board work resemble Big Ben's at a similar age as well. Biyombo signed with the Raptors for two years, $6 million - a small blind of a pittance by NBA standards.
It's easy to criticize the front office right now, but the fact remains that Washington's suffered some of the worst injury luck in the league. Bradley Beal and Nene have been out for weeks. Alan Anderson has yet to play a minute and Drew Gooden has been a complete non-factor.
It's tough stuff to overcome, especially in a year when the Eastern Conference is more competitive than anyone expected.
But the Wizards can't give up! Even if they miss out on Durant, they'll still have plenty of cap space to bring in another quality free agent (Nicolas Batum would be perfect) to compliment one of the brightest backcourts in the league.
It's depressing now, but the future won't be.
