Washington

Hiring Of Michael Winger Should Mean A Rebuild In Washington

Published

1 year ago

May 30, 2023

Hiring Of Michael Winger Should Mean A Rebuild In Washington

WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 18: Bradley Beal #3 of the Washington Wizards drives to the basket against … [+] the Sacramento Kings at Capital One Arena on March 18, 2023 in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)

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The Washington Wizards have arguably been one of the most irrelevant NBA franchises over the past few years, going nowhere despite legitimate attempts at upgrading the roster.

The trades for Kyle Kuzma and Kristaps Porziņģis were, in isolation, fairly decent in terms of their individual production. Kuzma broke out as a fringe level All-Star, and is looking at a major payday this summer after averaging 21.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 3.7 assists this season.

Porziņģis, who struggled after being brought to the Dallas Mavericks via trade in 2019, has rehabbed his value since becoming a Wizard at the 2022 trade deadline, finishing this year averaging 23.2 points, and 8.4 rebounds.

You’d think that type of contribution next to franchise star Bradley Beal – himself average 23.2 points and 5.4 assists – would form an effective Big Three in the capital, but the team won just 35 games, and the trio missed a total of 67 games collectively.

The Wizards failed to build up anything of substance next to their primary trio, rarely using last year’s Top 10 selection Johnny Davis, and even sending out Rui Hachimura to the Los Angeles Lakers, where he found his footing.

At the end of the season, the franchise sought a new direction in leadership, firing general manager Tommy Sheppard, and replacing him with Michael Winger, formerly of the Los Angeles Clippers.

It goes without saying that the Wizards are now changing course, presumably fed up with lackluster results and a product that has failed to capture the interest of NBA fans.

Armed with the eighth pick in the deep 2023 draft, Washington’s first task is to get a player who can help reshape the roster down the line. They also have the 42nd and 59th selections, both of which they should make, and keep, to optimize their youth movement.

Next up, it’d be prudent of the Wizards to be open to sign-and-trade arrangements for Kuzma, as his status as a likely unrestricted free agent (pending he declines his player option of $13 million) gives him all the power. If he, and a team over the cap, wish to make a deal happen, the Wizards should be open to taking on a bad contract for draft pick compensation, and ship out Kuzma.

The same could be said of Porziņģis, assuming he becomes an unrestricted free agent. Like Kuzma, he has a player option. Unlike Kuzma, Porziņģis is looking at a payday of $36 million next season if he picks up his option. If he instead opts for long-term security, and sacrifices next year’s salary, Washington should once again be open for business, and offer up Porziņģis in sign-and-trade scenarios.

Should Porziņģis pick up his option, and return for one final season, the Wizards should look to move him by their own accord.

That brings us to Beal.

The soon-to-be 30-year-old has a no-trade clause in his contract, preventing him from getting traded without his consent. That means Beal pretty much determines his own future.

Even if Washington finds a trade that makes sense for all sides, Beal have veto right, and could use it if he believes the team he’s going to gives up too much. We saw this scenario play out in 2007 when Kobe Bryant opted to veto a trade to the Chicago Bulls, believing that the inclusion of Luol Deng in the trade was too much for Chicago to relinquish.

As such, the first step in getting closer to a Beal trade is communication. Winger and Beal have to get on the same page, and map out a plan to get him elsewhere, where he has a chance to win, and the Wizards get back a youth package, setting them up for the future.

Make no mistake, however, this will be a long process. Any return for Kuzma and Porziņģis will be less than their market worth, and the same could be true of Beal, simply to the contractual status of all three. The Wizards are likely to suffer defeat in all three trades, but should go through it anyway to get out on the other side. The cap flexibility provided for the future will open up a world of possibilities, where the Wizards can spend the next few years accumulating assets via renting out their cap space on poor deals.

Given the new CBA, plenty of expensive teams will look to shed salaries, as to ease their luxury tax payments, and the Wizards should be standing by, arms open, and offer that tax relief to teams for the price of draft picks.

While the team is likely going to be terrible over the next two-to-three years, it at least sets a direction, and one that the fan base can get behind.

Unless noted otherwise, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball-Reference. All salary information via Spotrac. All odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.

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Washington

Commanders Aim to Bounce Back in Week 12, Players Eye Key Milestones

Published

4 hours ago

November 24, 2024

Press Room

Commanders Aim to Bounce Back in Week 12, Players Eye Key Milestones

The Washington Commanders return to Northwest Stadium for a high-stakes Week 12 rivalry clash against the Dallas Cowboys.

After back-to-back losses, the Commanders is not only seeking a much-needed win but also bragging rights in this storied division matchup. Several players also have their sights set on key milestones heading into Sunday’s game.

With a win, Washington would move to 8-4, marking their best start through 12 games since 1996. It would also solidify their dominance at home this season, improving to 5-1 at Northwest Stadium — their best home record through 12 games since 1992.

As Week 12 approaches, here are the numbers to watch as players aim for historic milestones:

Nov 10, 2024; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin (17) celebrates after a play against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the second half at Northwest Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images / Amber Searls-Imagn Images

1

Tight end Zach Ertz needs one touchdown reception to tie Keith Jackson (49) for 16th all-time among tight ends in NFL history.

2

Linebacker Bobby Wagner needs 100 tackles in 2024 to become only the second player since 2000 to achieve 13 or more consecutive 100-tackle seasons, joining London Fletcher, who accomplished the feat 14 times from 2000-2013. Wagner currently has 66 tackles this season. He’s also closing in on another milestone, needing two interceptions to reach 15 for his career.

Tight end Zach Ertz is just two touchdown receptions away from reaching 50 in his career.

Running back Austin Ekeler needs two receptions to surpass Thurman Thomas (472) for 25th all-time in receptions by a running back.

Defensive tackle Daron Payne is 2.5 sacks shy of breaking into the top 10 for career sacks in Washington franchise history.

3

Frankie Luvu needs three sacks to reach 30 career sacks.

4

Washington wide receiver Terry McLaurin is on the verge of several milestones. McLaurin needs 50 receptions and 900 receiving yards this season to become just the fourth player in NFL history to reach those marks in each of his first six seasons, joining Mike Evans, A.J. Green, and Randy Moss—a feat DK Metcalf is also chasing.

Additionally, McLaurin needs 75 receptions and 1,000 receiving yards in 2024 to become the fourth player to hit those marks in five of his first six seasons, joining Torry Holt, Brandon Marshall, and Randy Moss.

McLaurin is also closing in on franchise history, needing four receptions to pass Chris Cooley (429) for fifth all-time in Washington history. He’s four touchdown receptions away from reaching 35 career touchdowns.

5

Linebacker Bobby Wagner is also nearing a milestone, needing five sacks to reach 40 for his career.

6

Austin Ekeler recently surpassed Arian Foster (8,873) for the second-most scrimmage yards by an undrafted running back in the common-draft era, trailing only Priest Holmes (11,134). Ekeler now has 8,916 career scrimmage yards and has his sights set on another milestone. With 471 career receptions, he is just 29 catches away from becoming the sixth running back in NFL history to record 500 receptions in his first eight seasons. This exclusive club includes Marshall Faulk (548), LaDainian Tomlinson (510), Christian McCaffrey (509 in seven seasons), Roger Craig (508), and Alvin Kamara (505 in seven seasons).

Meanwhile, tight end Zach Ertz continues to cement his place in NFL history. Despite Washington recent losses, Ertz became the sixth tight end in league history to reach 750 career receptions, joining legends like Tony Gonzalez (1,325), Jason Witten (1,228), Antonio Gates (955), Travis Kelce (907 entering 2023), and Shannon Sharpe (815). Ertz currently has 752 career receptions.

7

While it may not happen this Sunday, Austin Ekeler is closing in on a historic milestone. He needs seven more touchdown receptions to surpass Marshall Faulk (36) for the most by a running back in the Super Bowl era. Ekeler currently has 30 career touchdown receptions.

9

Another milestone to keep an eye on—though it may not happen this week—is Zach Ertz approaching 8,000 career receiving yards. He is just 138 yards away from becoming the ninth tight end in NFL history to reach this milestone.

Stick with CommanderGameday and the Locked On Commanders podcast for more FREE coverage of the Washington Commanders throughout the 2024 season.

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• Commanders Defense Has Played Well, Needs to Finish Better

• Commanders Dorance Armstrong Jr. Feeling ‘More Urgency’ Facing Cowboys

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Washington

When does No. 1 Oregon football play Washington? Kickoff time set for Ducks vs. Huskies

Published

12 hours ago

November 24, 2024

Press Room

When does No. 1 Oregon football play Washington? Kickoff time set for Ducks vs. Huskies

The No. 1 Oregon football team will look to wrap its regular season with a perfect record against rival Washington next Saturday at home for senior night.

The Ducks (11-0, 8-0 Big Ten) are the only unbeaten team left in the Big Ten and could get some revenge against the Huskies (6-5, 4-4 Big Ten) at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 30 from Autzen Stadium.

The game will air on NBC.

Oregon coach Dan Lanning will be looking for his first win against the Huskies as head coach, having lost all three matchups in the last two seasons against UW.

The Washington team in 2024 is a far cry from what it was in 2022 and 2023, with first-year head coach Jedd Fisch replacing Kalen DeBoer (now at Alabama) and guiding Washington to a 6-5 record.

The Ducks have already qualified for the Big Ten Championship game, set to be played the following Saturday, Dec. 7.

Alec Dietz covers University of Oregon football, volleyball, women’s basketball and baseball for The Register-Guard. You may reach him at adietz@registerguard.com and you can follow him on X @AlecDietz.

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Washington

Bellevue vs. Kennewick: Live score, updates of Washington high school football quarterfinals (11/23/2024)

Published

20 hours ago

November 23, 2024

Press Room

Bellevue vs. Kennewick: Live score, updates of Washington high school football quarterfinals (11/23/2024)

If there is one team that relishes the opportunity to go toe-to-toe with reigning Class 3A champion Bellevue, it is the Kennewick Lions.

They played the Wolverines tough, losing a close 2021 state championship game.

The two programs meet in a rematch at 3 p.m. Pacific time in a WIAA Class 3A quarterfinal game at Belleve High School. A live feed is available on NFHS Network (subscription only).

SBLive is tracking scores across the state of Washington through Week 12. Stay with us for the latest score and game updates from pregame to teardown. Refresh this post and scroll down for the latest.

PRE-GAME: BELLEVUE VS. KENNEWICK

FIRST QUARTER

Updates provided when play starts.

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About Bellevue

Key players— RB Max Jones, OL/DL Demetri Manning, RB/LB Ryken Moon, DL Johnny O’Connor, RB/DB Bryce Smith

About Kennewick

Key players— OL Jose Cadenas, RB Canaan Hays, DL Tanner Larson, LB Cooper Neer, RB Alex Roberts

* WEEK 12 WASHINGTON HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PLAYOFF PRIMER

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DOWNLOAD THE SBLIVE APP

To get live updates on your phone – as well as follow your favorite teams and top games – you can download the SBLive Sports app: Download iPhone App | Download Android App

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