"You're gonna go to Washington" - Dan Patrick trolls Wizards, calls them irrelevant
The Washington Wizards aren't a franchise that's known for harboring championship aspirations. Over the years, the Wizards have appeared content with challenging for a postseason berth rather than attempting to make waves atop the Eastern Conference.
According to Dan Patrick, who was speaking on a June 19 episode of The Dan Patrick Show, the Wizards' apathetic approach to championship contention has made them somewhat irrelevant.
Was Washington becoming too relevant? They wanted to get rid of some players. They were like witness protection. They want nobody to watch them," Patrick said.
"I feel like Washington is the place where you get threatened to go to, like, keep acting up. You want to go to Washington. You want to be was it act up like a child? Hey. Like a parent. If you don't start playing defense, you're going to go to Washington."
Following their recent trade of Bradley Beal to the Phoenix Suns, the Washington Wizards will likely begin to enter into a rebuild as they look to redevelop their roster and potentially begin to build toward championship contention.
However, given the franchise's track record, there's no guarantee the front office will make the tough decisions required to put the team on track for a successful period in the future.
Phoenix Suns are 'all in', says Dan Patrick
According to Dan Patrick, on the same episode of his aforementioned podcast, the Phoenix Suns' move to acquire Bradley Beal has put them 'all-in' ahead of the new NBA season.
"Bradley Beal going to Phoenix. I think Miami was a possibility. I think there were four teams that there was maybe a possibility there. But for the Phoenix Suns, you're all in," Patrick said.
"You were all in when you traded for Kevin Durant. And maybe you can trade DeAndre Aton. Maybe you can get some depth there because that's what they lacked. You got to have some people coming off the bench."
Pheonix may be all-in, but it's likely that the Washington Wizards look to re-route Chris Paul to a contending team - as he's coming to the end of his career and will likely want to challenge for a championship.
That could be a good thing for the Wizards, as it will allow them to amass some draft assets rather than simply clearing their books when Chris Paul and Landrey Shamet's contracts become non-guaranteed in 2024-25.
With four months to go before the new NBA season gets underway, the Washington Wizards will have plenty of time to tear down their roster and begin acquiring high-ceiling prospects.
However, their decision to trade Bradley Beal has to be a catalyst for the franchise to change direction. That starts with putting championship contention at the forefront of every decision the front office makes moving forward.