Washington Wizards

Bradley Beal played the first 11 seasons of his career for the Washington Wizards and still has plenty of love for the nation's capital.

So much love, in fact, he does not want the Wizards to move to Virginia, which the Phoenix Suns guard explained as part of a diary entry with Marc J. Spears of Andscape:

"D.C., I'm here with you. I'm with you all. There is no moving to Virginia. What is that, [Wizards owner] Ted [Leonsis]? We love you to death. We understand what you want to do and are trying to do. But you can't take the team out of D.C. It's Chocolate City. As a league, we need it. It has to stay in D.C. now. The money? Listen, it's out of my hands and out of my control. I ain't got nothing to do with that. Hopefully [Washington] mayor [Muriel] Bowser can work something out with you.

I hope the team stays. It's good for the city. It creates a little bit of a problem, just my personal opinion, if it moves to Virginia. It's probably similar to how people felt when [the Washington Commanders] moved to Maryland. It is a tough thing. We just got to get everybody back to D.C. just rebuild RFK Stadium, rebuild Cap One (Capital One Arena). Keep it in the city. We can make it happen and they can make happen."

Beal was a franchise cornerstone for the Wizards, who selected him with the No. 3 overall pick of the 2012 NBA draft. He was a three-time All-Star and a 2020-21 All-NBA Third Team selection during his tenure.

In all, the guard averaged 22.1 points, 4.3 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game during his time with the Wizards.

He surely has plenty of memories associated with Washington D.C. and doesn't want to see the franchise he is most familiar with in the NBA changing homes.

The future is not exactly bright for the 5-23 Washington Wizards, which might lead to the front office focusing on acquiring draft picks and accelerating a rebuild as the season progresses.

If it does, Washington could reportedly receive a first-round pick in return for Kyle Kuzma.

"The four-year, $90 million deal they signed with Kyle Kuzma in free agency is considered quite valuable among rival personnel and could bring back some legitimate first-round draft capital for the rebuilding Wizards," Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports wrote.

Washington surely didn't envision exploring trades for Kuzma this soon when it signed him to an extension this past offseason.

After all, he is under team control through the 2026-27 campaign and just 28 years old. He is someone who could help the franchise down the line even if there likely won't be any surprising playoff runs this season.

Yet all of that makes him more attractive as a potential trade target for other teams as well.

Teams in the middle of contending windows would surely be willing to give more up in a deal for the forward if they know they will have him on the roster for years to come instead of as just a rental. That, in turn, would make them much more likely to give up something as valuable as a first-round pick.

That first-round pick could eventually become a player better than Kuzma for a Washington team that needs star players to build around more than role players at this point.

Kuzma has been a bright spot at times for the struggling Wizards and is averaging 23.0 points, 6.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game while shooting 46.8 percent from the field and 36.1 percent from three-point range.

While he can be inconsistent at times, he is someone who can pose a matchup problem for opposing defenses with his ability to stretch his game beyond the arc or score in the lane.

He would likely have a smaller role on a contender that traded for him, but he is someone who could alter a playoff series in the right situation. And that may just be worth a first-round pick in trade discussions.

The Washington Wizards and Capitals have called Washington, D.C., home since December 1997, but a move to Northern Virginia may be on the horizon.

Ted Leonsis made the announcement Wednesday, detailing a "new nine-million-square-foot entertainment district" that would house an arena for both teams, per Carissa DiMargo, Drew Wilder and Mark Segraves of NBC 4 Washington.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski first reported the plans on Tuesday.

Washington, D.C., is not giving up the teams without a fight, however, with Mayor Muriel Bowser introducing a plan for legislation on Tuesday night that would "provide financing of $500 million toward the $800 million renovation project over a period of three years beginning in 2024":

Wojnarowski notably cited a report from Tristan Navera and Ana Lucía Murillo of the Washington Business Journal, who wrote the following on Tuesday regarding a "big step" that took place for a move to occur.

"That potential move took a big step toward reality Monday when a panel of Virginia lawmakers unanimously approved a plan to lure the Monumental Sports & Entertainment-owned teams to Northern Virginia. State and Alexandria officials are planning a media event Wednesday morning at the Potomac Yard Metro station, where tents have been erected."

Leonsis is the founder, chairman and CEO of Monumental Sports and Entertainment, which owns the Washington Wizards, Washington Capitals and Washington Mystics.

The Wizards and Capitals currently play downtown in Capital One Arena and have done so since 1997 when it opened as the MCI Center. Previously, the two franchises called Landover, Maryland, home beginning in the mid-1970s.

The Mystics, who play at Entertainment & Sports Arena in Southeast D.C., are not reported to be part of the potential move to Northern Virginia.

On the D.C. side, there's obvious concern about the financial impact of losing both teams. The Washington Business Journal explained more:

"D.C. officials know both the financial and symbolic impact of losing the teams and are negotiating with Leonsis to provide a financial package that would convince him to stay at Gallery Place, where Monumental owns the arena and the city owns the land. The company could get out of the land lease with certain maneuvering as soon as 2027."

Per the Monumental website, the arena has generated "nearly $800 million in tax revenue for the District since opening its doors."

Leonsis' Monumental & Sports Entertainment group wants $600 million in public funding from Washington, D.C., to stick in the District, per the Washington Business Journal, for an "$800 million revival" of Capital One Arena.

Per NBC 4 Washington, Leonsis and Monumental can get out of their lease at the arena in 2027 if they pay off a roughly $36 million bond.

Kyle Kuzma has been one of the few bright spots for the Washington Wizards to start this season, but that isn't stopping fans of the team from thinking about what he might be worth in a trade.

After SB Nation's Bullets Forever account tweeted a GIF of a man riding an arrow straight up with the caption "Kuz trade value meter," he had a response to the post: "Damn bro why you wanna trade me?"

Kuzma is having a strong season that no one is paying attention to because Washington has lost 14 of its first 17 games. He's averaging career-highs in points (23.4) and assists (4.8) per game on 47.1 percent shooting (36.3 percent from three-point range).

The Wizards ended their nine-game losing streak on Monday night with a 126-107 win over the Detroit Pistons. Kuzma finished with 32 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists in 35 minutes.

It's not hard to fault Wizards fans for being all-in on the future and thinking about any future assets they might be able to acquire. They have made the playoffs once in the previous five seasons and haven't had a winning record since 2017-18.

The Wizards still need players who can get them through this season and potentially be key contributors whenever the next window of contention opens. They have four future pick swaps with the Phoenix Suns, including in 2028 and 2030, that could be very valuable given the age and injury concerns of the star players on Phoenix's roster.

Kuzma doesn't seem like a player Washington's front office will be quick to make a move on. He just signed a four-year, $90 million deal to stay with the Wizards in July. His contract could age very well with declining salaries, though it does include a 15 percent trade bonus.

The Washington Wizards are currently tied with the Detroit Pistons with an NBA-low two wins and have spent more time this season on social-media blooper reels than in the highlights.

Even NBA players are noticing.

"S--tshow. I mean, they lose a ton of games," Philadelphia 76ers guard Patrick Beverley said on his podcast.

Guard Jordan Poole has taken on the brunt of the scorn as clips of him taking wild shots and throwing alley-oops down double digits have gone viral. Beverley ripped into Poole—and the Wizards as a whole—for one clip of Poole not paying attention in the huddle and brushing off a play drawn up by Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr.

"S--t shouldn't happen. I don't give a f--k who you are," Beverley said. "The greats, that won't happen. It does not happen. You need good vets."

Danilo Gallinari is the oldest player on the Wizards roster at age 35, but their depth chart is not filled with many players one would highlight as veteran leaders. Kyle Kuzma, who himself has a reputation for unseriousness, is the team's leading scorer at 23.5 points per game and by proxy their leader.

Poole has been one of the NBA's biggest disappointments this season, regressing in every major category while being asked to take on a bigger role in Washington. With Poole in the first season of a four-year, $128 million contract, it's looking more likely than not more headaches are coming.

It's been a rough start to the NBA season in the nation's capital.

Limping out of the gate to a 2-10 start, it's been hard to watch this iteration of the Washington Wizards—even when considering the lack of success the franchise has had over the past decade.

And fans haven't been jumping at the opportunity to attend games at Capital One Arena, leading to Friday night's game against the New York Knicks feeling more like a road game for the Wizards.

Fourth-year forward Deni Avdija was frustrated by the lack of support.

"Gets me angry sometimes, honestly," Avdija said. "Playing in your city and having the whole stadium cheering 'Let's Go Knicks' … Not something you'll see in Europe … This stadium needs to chant 'Let's Go DC', that's how it needs to be."

As one of the signature NBA franchises, the Knicks' fan base tends to travel extremely well and has the potential to dominate a handful of arenas across the NBA. So, it shouldn't be a surprise to see them do the same thing to Washington.

The Wizards currently rank 24th in the league in terms of average attendance, with a little more than 17,000 people per game showing up to Capital One Arena to watch them play.

It's fair for Avdija to want more from the fanbase, however. The franchise just hasn't had much success since he entered the league in 2020 as the No. 9 overall pick.

Washington has failed to win more than 35 games in any season since Avdija joined the team.

And it shouldn't be expected that it'll top that mark this season as it currently holds the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference.

Avdija is averaging 13.2 points per game to go along with 5.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists while shooting 52.9 percent from the field.

The Washington Wizards may not view Jordan Poole as a key piece of their long-term future, according to NBA insider Marc Stein.

Stein pondered whether the Wizards acquired the young guard with an eye toward dealing him down the line or positioning him as "a cornerstone player of their post-Bradley Beal future."

"My sense, from speaking to various league observers, is that more believe it is the former rather than the latter with Poole in Year 1 of a four-year, $123 million contract," Stein reported.

Poole has delivered some impressive individual moments early into his Washington tenure.

He's also demonstrating to some degree why the Golden State Warriors chose to ship him out of town in the offseason.

Poole's scoring average (16.2 points) is down slightly compared to the last two seasons, and he's shooting 41.2 percent from the field and 30.3 percent from beyond the arc. His .508 true shooting rate is on pace to be his lowest since his rookie campaign in 2019-20, per Basketball Reference.

As a team, Washington has a minus-21.7 net rating with Poole on the court and a plus-14.0 net rating when he goes to the bench, per NBA.com. On/off splits aren't the definitive indicator of a player's value, but that kind of gulf is not what you want from somebody earning $32 million annually.

The 24-year-old is struggling with a lesser supporting cast and a bigger on-court role than he had in Golden State. That, in turn, makes some of his eccentricities a little tougher to stomach.

Poole might be miscast as a No. 1 or 2 scoring option, even on a bad team that's building for the future.

Perhaps his performance will begin to improve as the year goes on and he grows more comfortable in Washington. If not, eventually finding a taker for Poole and his sizable deal may be easier said than done.

To Jordan Poole, the Washington Wizards are his team.

While speaking with Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, Poole discussed his transition from being a less prominent figure with the Golden State Warriors to an important piece of the starting lineup with the Wizards:

Obviously, I wanted to be in a position to have my own team, and then if it did come, how would I go about that? Luckily, I'm able to do that so young, after learning from some of the best. It's cool. It's a smooth transition. We're building everything from scratch, essentially. Building up a new foundation. Everything in Golden State was already established, so we kinda had to fit into the mold that they have there.

Poole added: "It's a bit different, too, like, once your contract is signed and once you got a ring. Essentially everything that needed to be done in Golden State got done. I got a ring. Made sure my family is straight. A good situation to come in [to Washington] and just kind of have my own team, play my own type of basketball."

The Warriors selected Poole in the first round of the 2019 draft out of Michigan, and he improved in each of his four seasons in Golden State. Despite that improvement, the Dubs traded him to the Wizards in exchange for an older, more mature and more experienced Chris Paul.

The trade has seemed to pay off for Poole statistically as he has started all seven of Washington's games this season and is averaging 17.4 points, 1.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists while shooting 41.5 percent from the floor and 31.9 percent from deep.

Now that he's a starter and is playing against the best of the best, Poole's game should only benefit as a result.

Washington Wizards guard Jordan Poole has denied the rumor he spent $500,000 on a date with Ice Spice.

During a Wizards fan meet-and-greet (h/t TMZ Sports), Poole said "definitely not" when the subject of his alleged expensive date with the rapper came up.

"Definitely cap," he added.

The rumor started in May by Cam'ron during an episode of his It Is What It Is web series.

"Jordan Poole, you spent $500,000 on an Ice Spice date," Cam'ron said (h/t Armon Sadler of Yahoo Sports). "You're a munch and you're playing like a f**king munch. This is not you from last year, bro. Go back to Milwaukee and figure it the f--k out and get back in the playoffs 'cause you look crazy."

The comment out of nowhere and was seemingly made because Killa Cam was unhappy with how Poole was performing in the playoffs for the Golden State Warriors.

The date of the episode Cam'ron made his comments was May 4, two days after the Warriors lost Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals to the Los Angeles Lakers. Poole actually had his best game of the series in the loss with 21 points and six assists in 30 minutes.

Poole was a liability in the first-round series against the Sacramento Kings. He shot 33.8 percent from the field and had all sorts of issues on both ends of the court over the course of seven games.

The Warriors certainly didn't end the season pleased with how Poole played. They traded the 24-year-old to the Washington Wizards during the offseason as part of the deal for Chris Paul.

A man is suing Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma, saying Kuzma's dog "viciously" bit him while he was approaching the cabin of the plane.

Per a lawsuit obtained by TMZ Sports, Bernardo Tosto said that Kuzma's dog bit his right arm on May 4 near the Van Nuys (California) airport.

Tosto, who is suing for unspecified damages, said that he suffered "severe injuries" and that Kuzma "did not take any action to secure the dog."

The 28-year-old Kuzma is entering his seventh NBA season and third with the Washington Wizards after playing four years with the Los Angeles Lakers. Kuzma just averaged a career-high 21.2 points while posting 7.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.

He signed a four-year, $90 million contract this offseason to remain in Washington.