The Washington Wizards find themselves in an extremely strange place heading into the 2019-20 season, and it's not just because they haven't named a full-time general manager yet. With one of the better backcourt duos in the NBA in John Wall and Bradley Beal, the Wizards should be competing on an annual basis. But injuries to Wall — as well as the massive extension he signed in the summer of 2017 — have put a halt to the team's potential.

Wall will likely miss a good chunk of the upcoming season as he recovers from a ruptured Achilles, putting the onus on Beal once again. Beal just became the first placer in franchise history to average at least 25 points, five rebounds and five assists in a single season, and he also played all 82 games while leading the NBA in terms of miles run.

Luckily for the Wizards, Beal was not named to one of the All-NBA teams, meaning he's ineligible for a supermax extension this summer. Beal still has two years and over $55 million on his contract, and his name has been floated around in trade rumors more and more often as of late.

Because of the uncertain nature of the future of the team, the Wizards were relatively inactive in free agency, seeking a number of short-term deals around Wall and Beal. But some of the moves were as confusing as Washington's standing in the Eastern Conference.

Here are the three biggest takeaways from the NBA offseason for the Wizards.

3. Rui over Reddish?

While the Wizards did not have the luxury of selecting in the top five of the 2019 NBA Draft, they still had a good opportunity to get an impact player from the No. 9 spot.

One such player of intrigue leading up to the draft had been Cam Reddish out of Duke. Washington was going to let Trevor Ariza and Jabari Parker walk in free agency, leaving some vacancies on the wing that Reddish would have seemed to fit well.

Although he struggled with efficiency at Duke, Reddish's talent was evident. Armed with a long and athletic frame, he proved to be an exceptional playmaker on the defensive end, and he could fill it up from the perimeter in a hurry.

Instead, the Wizards drafted forward Rui Hachimura out of Gonzaga. Hachimura was one of the better pure scoring forwards in the country, averaging 19.7 points on close to 60 percent shooting from the field while showing a traditional post-up game in addition to a decent mid-range touch.

However, Rui is rather undersized (just 6'8″) at the 4, and he benefited tremendously from playing with Brandon Clarke on the defensive end. Though he is not a bad defender, he does not have the same level of lateral quickness or hand position Reddish showed.

Still, Hachimura played well during the NBA Summer League, and he should get a chance to make an immediate impact for the Wizards. Can he prove that Tommy Sheppard and co. made the right decision?

2. Interesting choice of veterans

The Wizards did not have much room for flexibility in the offseason. They already owe Wall and Beal close to $65 million combined, and Wall's contract being back-loaded makes front office decisions that much more tenuous.

Still, Washington's choice of free agents was very curious. They signed former Pistons point guard Ish Smith to a two-year deal and agreed to a one-year minimum contract with Isaiah Thomas.

On paper, these seem like pretty low-risk, high-reward moves … until you realize the Wizards were willing to part with guard Tomas Satoransky in a sign-and-trade with the Bulls for just three years and $30 million.

Smith and Thomas are not very good distributors, and they are not exactly efficient scorers either. Satoransky was hardly a potent offensive player, but he averaged five assists per game and had an excellent assist-to-turnover ratio, and he could also spread the floor and shoot from beyond the arc.

The Wizards also swapped Dwight Howard for C.J. Miles, another strange decision. Miles is a capable 3-point shooter who can play multiple positions, but that is about it in terms of skill set. He is not a very good defender, and he provides little more than shooting offensively. Not to mention, he is making close to $3 million more than Howard this season.

Dwight is well past his prime, obviously. But he is still a great rebounder and capable shot blocker who can score on the offensive glass.

The Wizards indeed wound up letting Trevor Ariza and Jabari Parker walk, with Bobby Portis going out the door as well. Some of these moves were kind of odd.

1. Intent on keeping Beal … for now

Beal made his second consecutive All-Star team, and at just 25 years old he still has plenty of room to grow. Already lacking young talent, the Wizards seem insistent on keeping Beal … at least for right now.

Washington had wanted to discuss a potential extension with Beal close to four weeks ago, but he wanted to see what moves the team made in the offseason.

Even though the Wizards dodged a bullet with Beal not being eligible for a supermax, they are still going to have to pay a pretty penny to keep him in the nation's capital.

The issue is that such a contract would mean that Washington would be committing probably close to 80 percent of its salary cap to Beal and Wall on an annual basis.

These financial constraints — paired with Beal's impending free agency in 2021 and his trade value now — could possibly force Washington's hand somewhere down the road.