Last Sunday, I asked you to comment or email me questions on the Wizards and Mystics for a mailbag. And here is the third part where I’ll answer the remaining ones, except for one more by DCrez which Lyndie will answer in another post later this week.
We’ll go ahead and do this again next Sunday. Thank you for your questions!
— Albert
Jordan (email): Have you heard any update on Troy Brown’s offseason progress? There was a lot to like about his rookie season but it’s clear he needs to work on his 3 point shooting. Looking forward to seeing big things out of Brown in his second year.
Albert: Brown certainly had his moments last season but has room to grow. He has been working out in Las Vegas (a common destination for NBA players).
and he’s also working out in D.C. as well.
Grinding all summer. @Troy_Brown33 | #DCFamily pic.twitter.com/iC3M1kYciO
— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) June 16, 2019
Workout videos look nice for social media shares, but it will be interesting to see if he plays in the Summer League next month.
Alex (email): Does the Anthony Davis trade (and the injuries to Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson) make the Celtics or Knicks trade for Beal? (rpdc also asked a similar question in a comment)
Albert: I don’t think that the Celtics or Knicks will be FORCED to make a trade for Bradley Beal. But teams like the Celtics and Knicks are certainly more likely to make a pitch. So Beal is higher ranked among the top players in the NBA than he was a couple weeks ago with those injuries.
celinesun14 (Twitter): Can I ask Elena Delle Donne why her status this season is different right now? What’s her opinion on how the Mystics can improve? By the way, please tell her we love her anyway.
Albert: I don’t think Delle Donne’s status as the Mystics’ franchise player has changed one bit. It’s that way for the foreseeable future. But this season, her scoring has taken a dip while her passing has continued to increase. Part of that is because players like Ariel Atkins and Natasha Cloud have improved. And part of it may be because she is still recovering from a knee injury last year.
I think Delle Donne’s opinion on how the Mystics can improve is by staying hungry and work one day at a time. Here’s Diamond Holton’s video of her preseason presser.
And by the way Elena,
WE LOVE YOU!
Noah Mett (comments): What in your opinion is Bradley Beal’s trade value? Outside of the Pelicans’ (not good enough) potentially offers that have been floated around and now that the Lakers are definitely out who would be a realistic trade partner? And what would you like to see in return from that team? Also if we were to trade back to say 12 or a similar position could we still draft a guy like Rui Hachimura or Jaxson Hayes while picking up a realistic second round pick or two like Jordan Bone?
Albert: I think Bradley Beal right now is worth one to two solid young players and two first-round draft picks, at least one in the lottery range. The Pelicans seem like a possible draft partner because they have some younger talent like Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram as well as the No. 4 pick from the Lakers trade. However, if they want to deal with Washington, they have to give up nearly $25 million of their payroll in addition to the draft picks if a deal were done in the next couple days. It’s more likely that the Wizards would need a third team involved in these talks.
Larry (Email): With Emma Meesseman and Kim Mestdagh out for an extended period due to Women’s EuroBasket and Kiara Leslie injured, are the Mystics eligible for emergency signings to fill out the roster? It seemed like the short rotation was a factor in the most recent loss to Connecticut and could remain an issue in the weeks to come.
Albert: The Mystics are eligible for emergency signings due to injuries or when there are multiple player absences. This is known as the emergency hardship exception, per page 77 of the WNBA’s CBA.
The Mystics only had nine players available to play once Meesseman and Mestdagh left to train for Women’s EuroBasket out of the 12-woman roster. This is because Kiara Leslie is out due to injury, possibly for the entire season.
When one player is injured and has to miss the entire season, then it’s usually tough luck for the team she plays on. So with Leslie’s injury, the Mystics couldn’t get a replacement. But if a 12-woman roster drops to nine, they can may apply for hardships so the roster can go back up to 10 players.
So in Peddy’s case, she will be with the team until either Leslie is available to play or when Meesseman and Mestdagh return, whichever happens first. My hunch is that Peddy will be cut by mid-July. However, if Peddy plays very well with Washington over the next month, it wouldn’t be unreasonable for Washington to cut Mestdagh instead. But let’s cross that bridge when we get there because I love seeing Mestdagh play with the Belgian team.
There is another exception the WNBA has called the “Hardship Exception,” but this relates to players who suffer “disabling” injuries when players have to miss more than three weeks. Leslie’s case may have applied here as well, but it appears that Washington wasn’t able to. In any case, teams must apply for hardship exceptions to the WNBA before they are granted.