I just mentioned below that the Wizards will not be a player in the newly arrived free agency period, and Ted Leonsis told us why on his blog.
What happens to a fan base that has been promised a bunch of new max free agents, and then it doesn’t get them delivered?
What would have happened if we didn't make the last few trades (Hinrich and Yi), instead saving our cap space for a free agent we would ultimately strike out on? Leonsis reminds us that of all the teams chasing LeBron James (or whatever free agent you want to talk about), all but one will have to feel the effects of being left empty handed. More from Leonsis after the jump.
That is the question to a great social experiment I want to see answered later in this NBA off season. Free agents can do what they want. It is out of a team’s control. They are unrestricted free agents. They do what they want, when they want. Good for them. They earned that right.
I never like being not in a semblance of control, not knowing how the strategy will be executed. It actually feels good to NOT be holding our collective breathe right now, doesn’t it?
Well there you go. Leonsis made the last few trades so that he could be in control of how his team would spend its cap space. When you gamble on free agency, you leave control of your team up to the players. As we have just learned, Ted likes his control. He wants to make sure that the direction of his franchise will be decided by his front office, not on the whim of a player being courted by a handful of other teams whose situation he might find more attractive.
I guess you could say, the Wizards don't want to be the Redskins (more on that later). I like that plan.