The Washington Wizards look fairly different compared to last season. After all, they traded away former MVP Russell Westbrook to the Los Angeles Lakers, in exchange for multiple players including 6MOTY winner Montrezl Harrell and a former All-Rookie selection in Kyle Kuzma. They also acquired Spencer Dinwiddie via sign-and-trade, which was probably their biggest acquisition this offseason.
Spencer Dinwiddie averaged 20.6 PPG, 3.5 RPG, and 6.8 APG in his last fully healthy season with the Brooklyn Nets, and hopefully, he can replicate that level of play with the Washington Wizards. There is no question that Bradley Beal and Spencer Dinwiddie would make a dynamic duo. It seems as though Bradley Beal realized that as well, as GM Tommy Sheppard revealed that franchise player Bradley Beal recruited Dinwiddie to join the Washington Wizards.
🔊 @WashWizards GM Tommy Sheppard tells @ROSGO21 & @DarthAmin what to expect from Washington's new duo, Bradley Beal and Spencer Dinwiddie. pic.twitter.com/i7vvkGJm44
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) August 21, 2021
That’s somebody I think Bradley targeted when we were talking about free agency stuff. We got to free agency, the opening day, and the first meeting we had was with Spencer Dinwiddie… Bradley was very involved talking to different players during the offseason, and that was one player that came up, we all kind of agreed “hey, if that guy’s available, we should talk to him.” We got that opportunity to do that, it took a few days to get his trade done… Don’t worry about getting it fast, worry about getting it right.
The new-look Washington Wizards may not have two superstars like they did last season, but they look like a very talented team, with savvy veterans and solid talent at every position. It remains to be seen how well they do in the new-look Eastern Conference, but it definitely feels as though they could be a potential playoff team, especially if young players like Rui Hachimura take a jump. The key to their plans though will of course be the Dinwiddie-Beal duo, and hopefully, they are able to bring the Wizards to the playoffs.
