A Fresh Start Is Needed For Leonsis And Wizards

     As the NBA trade deadline approaches the Washington Wizards could go through a complete revamp in the coming weeks. Capitals owner Ted Leonsis appears poised to purchase the Wizards and the Verizon Center. Speculation is that he would tear apart the roster and start from scratch.

     While the Wizards made a few playoff runs with Gilbert Arenas, Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison as the leaders, those days have passed. With Arenas probably suspended for the rest of the 2010 season and facing possible jail time, Butler and Jamison have proved that they are not capable of leading the Wizards.

     Butler and Jamison played 66 games together in the 2008-09 season. The Wizards won 14 of those games. That is a .212 win percentage. The Wizards won a total of 19 games with Jamison only missing one game and were awarded the fifth pick in the 2009 draft.

     If Arenas does not play another game this year he has only played 47 games in the three years since getting his six year $111 million extension. He showed in his 32 games this season that his knee surgery's cost him a step.

     The three years leading up to his contract extension he was considered a top 5 guard if not a top 5 player in the league. He averaged 25.5 ppg in 2004-2005, 29.3 in 2005-06, and 28.4 in 2006-07, he was expected to lead the Washington Wizards into a perenial Eastern Conference power when he signed his contract extension.

     If Arenas misses the rest of the year he will have missed 199 games since he signed his contract extension. The Wizards need to do something about it.

     With the huge free agent class of 2010 coming this summer the Wizards should free up as much cap space as possible and start over. The Wizards have nine players with expiring contracts that total to $34,753,303 in expiring contracts including Brendan Haywood, Mike Miller and restricted free agent Randy Foye.

     The expiring contracts leave six players on the Wizards. Forward/center Andray Blatche, center JaVale McGee, guard Nick Young, Arenas, Butler and Jamison.

     With Jamison and Butler not good enough to lead the team and Arenas showing he is not worthy enough, it is time for change in the District.

     Arenas will make more then $17 million next season; Butler and Jamison will both be paid more then $10 million a piece. Butler and Jamison have generated a fair amount of trade interest and if the Wizards could deal the two stars for expiring contracts the 2010-11 Wizards could have more than 10 new players on the roster.

     The 2009-10 NBA salary cap is set at $57.7 million. With trades of Butler and Jamison, if the Wizards can find a way to void the felon Arenas' contract they could have more than $70 million dollars coming off the books. Next year there would only be $7,491,874 committed to three players. That would give Leonsis the fresh start he is looking for.

     It would give Leonsis the power to get any two big name free agents that he wanted and with the huge free agent class of 2010 he could easily sign two all stars.

     If a team in the eastern conference has two star players they are pretty much guaranteed to make the playoffs. With the freedom of spots for ten new players, Leonsis and Flip Saunders could build a the team that they want. Two big name free agents would be nice.

     Right now there is no reason to speculate on who those two players could be for the Wizards; the NBA offseason is 6 months away. But one thing is obvious, the Washington Wizards need change.