The Washington Wizards have never been able to break through into the Eastern Conference elite, and owner Ted Leonsis believes that’s at least partially down to him.
Under the previous regime led by general manager Ernie Grunfeld, Leonsis rarely communicated with anyone outside of the GM, using him as a conduit for everyone else in the organization. That will change going forward to align with new GM Tommy Sheppard.
“Our owners are going to be more involved,” Leonsis said, via Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington. “You constantly have to gauge back and forth: is it good to be involved, or is it not good to be involved? Every agent, every player that I’ve talked to said the more they see Raul Fernandez and Laurene Powell-Jobs and me, the more connected they feel to what our vision and what our ultimate plan is.”
The pronouncement comes at a key time for the organization. Star guard Bradley Beal is weighing a contract extension that he appears to have some reservations about signing. John Wall is a long way from recovering from a ruptured Achilles. The new regime is set to inherit a fairly messy situation. Guidance from ownership can’t hurt.
