The Washington Wizards are a bad basketball team. Since Ted Leonsis has owned the team, they have suffered a lot more losses than wins. A blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while. In a shocking turn of events, the Wizards somehow convinced Bradley Beal to sign a long term extension to stay in the DMV. Ted Leonsis had quite the sales pitch to convince Beal to stay.
Wizards owner Ted Leonsis said this about the Beal sales pitch on The Habershow:
“If you get a young player, and they’re a part of building your culture, and the team and the culture really becomes theirs, right? That’s the key thing. And so, if you’re gifted and you’re going to get paid in the NBA, why go play and be the third wheel, right? It’s almost – it’s counterintuitive to me. Because it’s LeBron’s team in L.A. How did it go last year? Did anyone look happy in L.A.? So, Brad and John and the players here, they’re a part of something. And it’s going to be really, really hard. But if you’re in it together.”
Hey, Ted isn’t wrong. That Lakers team last year was miserable. It was hard not to be. We documented most of them. The young Lakers hated LeBron so much that they wouldn’t even sit next to him. Most of those guys are gone now. Anthony Davis is in LA now. Beal would obviously be the third option with the Lakers. Go ask Chris Bosh what that’s like. Go ask Kevin Love what that’s like. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows when you sell your soul to play with the devil.
Let’s give the Wizards credit for one thing. They are just one of two teams with multiple players who have stayed with their current organization for 8 years. It’s the Wizards and Warriors. The Warriors with Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green. Then it’s the Wizards with John Wall and Bradley Beal. That’s the list. In a league full of constant turnover, the Wizards found a way to keep their group together. An odd accomplishment given the current state of the league. Is that duo good enough? Now that’s a different question.
