The Washington Wizards have gotten off to a disappointing 5-11 start in a season they entered with high expectations, and it seems like things could be in danger of spiraling out of control for the team in a hurry.
Shams Charania of The Athletic reports that the Wizards had a particularly “volatile” practice recently during which Bradley Beal lashed out at members of Washington’s front office. While Charania notes that emotional practices are not unusual for struggling teams, it sounds like there was an abnormal amount of tension on this particular day.
Sources on @TheAthleticNBA @WatchStadium: The Washington Wizards had a volatile practice within recent days, with verbal altercations among players and an exasperated Bradley Beal saying toward team officials: "I've been dealing with this for seven years."
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 19, 2018
Teams have these kinds of practices, and tension always reveals itself amid underperformance. Wizards are 5-11 so far this year. Several players had verbal back and forth in this practice, league sources said. https://t.co/U79FqusKLL
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 19, 2018
The Wizards have been outplayed throughout most of the early part of the season, and head coach Scott Brooks unloaded on his players after Sunday’s loss to the Portland Trail Blazers for their lack of effort. Then on Monday, a report claimed the Wizards have let teams know they are open to trading any player on their roster — including Beal or John Wall.
While Wall and Beal are two superstar players whom franchises would love to build around, there are concerns about whether or not Washington’s current roster can coexist. Wall also recently had to defend himself against some off-court criticism, so you can understand why team executives may be pondering a total rebuild.
