The Washington Wizards are in full tank mode.
Washington has lost 9 consecutive games. In fact, their last victory came the night before they traded away key rotational pieces CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert to the Hawks.
The Wizards have had so much success losing games recently that they've overtaken the Pelicans (whose pick the Hawks own) in the race for the best lottery odds next year.
Unfortunately for Washington's front office, commissioner Adam Silver has begun to crack down on tanking over the last few seasons. Teams are receiving harsher and harsher repercussions
In 2018, the Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban received a $600,00 fine after publicly admitting (via podcast) that it was "In [their] best interest to lose games." Ironically, it was the Mavericks who won the lottery last year, after not tanking until their stars got legitimately injured, out of their control.
For the conspiracy enthusiasts out there, Silver actually went on record last season after the Mavericks won the lottery, praising them for their refusal to tank. "They were trying to win. Then Kyrie got injured, and Anthony Davis got injured. So they found themselves in the lottery. Odds are odds and that’s how it turned out."
Was it a slip of the tongue, or simply an assessment of the facts after a fair lottery played out? Regardless of what you believe, the fact of the matter is that Silver does not reward tanking in this league – directly or indirectly.
With the success Washington has had losing games, they have a problem – a (miniature) elephant in their room is getting healthier and healthier by the day.
Incentive to prove himself – who will prevail, Trae or Washington's FO?
Operating under the assumption that Trae Young will be healthy after the All-Star break, an exceptionally loud question is absolutely begging to be answered: when will Trae actually return to the hardwood?
The Wizards obviously have all the incentive in the world to keep Young off the floor for as long as they are feasibly able to do so. At his core, Trae is able to win games out of thin air; Hawks fans know this trait all too well. The last thing that Washington needs right now is a player that can win games that they don't want to be winning.
If Trae can set foot on the floor and leave the Wizards no reason to keep him out, he'll be able to help not only himself, but the Hawks as well.
Trae can prove once and for all that he's not a system player – he is the system. Following in the footsteps of James Harden, who has brought success to every franchise he has touched (albeit not deep postseason success), Trae can bring victories to Washington if he's allowed the opportunity.
Obviously, if Trae can earn a few extra victories for the Wizards, the Hawks benefit. The Pelicans pick may just end up ahead of the WIzards if Trae is able to orchestrate victories the way all Hawks fans know he's capable of doing.