At the Wizards, the new president relies first on Bradley Beal

At the Clippers since 2019, Michael Winger will not experience the move to Inglewood. Responsible for recruitment, he left the sailboats to join Washington where Ted Leonsis decided to make him its president. It’s a promotion for him, and the pressure does not scare him since he worked for several years with Steve Ballmer, the former boss of Microsoft and boiling owner of the Clippers.

“I think it’s rare in professional sports that there are opportunities where almost all the boxes are checked, if not all the boxes. And I think it was the rare and extremely privileged opportunity for someone like me to tick all the boxes: the owner, the market, the fan base, and already a talented team.

A “talented team” which has not reached the playoffs for two years, and the site is important since it will be necessary to assemble a workforce capable of playing the leading roles in the East. At the Clippers, Winger had played an active role in recruiting Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, and he is frustrated that this association is not yet titled.

“I would have liked to win one or more titles in the four years that we had Paul and Kawhi, but not all teams that aim for the title win it…” reminds Winger. “Winning a title would have been great, but other than that, what else? Personally, I will be sad not to be able to live the next years of Paul and Kawhi because I think they form a tandem of champions. I strongly believe that these two guys, when healthy, can absolutely win a title, so I’m kind of sad that I won’t be there when they finally do.”

Two important files: Kristaps Porzingis and Kyle Kuzma

In Washington, there is no tandem of such a level, but there is a superstar: Bradley Beal. Even if the rear remains on an average season for his standing, no question of exchanging him if we are to believe Winger. For the former GM of the Clippers, the presence of Beal is already a huge advantage.

“His former coaches, his former teammates all have a very high regard for him, and he is without question a superstar”, concludes Winger. “The hardest thing to do in the NBA is to acquire a superstar, and it’s even harder to acquire a superstar with such a personality. So I think that’s an extremely advantageous starting point. For me, it’s very exciting to have someone like Brad on the team.

To surround Bradley Beal, there are two major players, Kristaps Porzingis and Kyle Kuzma. Both have the opportunity to test the market by declining their “player option”. At the end of March, it was rumored that the Wizards were ready to break the bank to keep the two. But at the time, the president was not Michael Winger, and we will know very quickly if he shares the project of his predecessor, Tommy Sheppard.