The Washington Wizards were set to go into training camp with their additional pieces that they'd obtained via drafts and free agency. They were coming off a disappointing season after failing to make the playoffs for the second season in a row.

With John Wall showing signs of returning to his All-Star form, it was speculated that the Wizards could maintain a chance at returning to relevance in the Eastern Conference. The East, for the lower part of the standings, is wide open for the taking and could allow a resurgence from a defeated Wizards squad looking to retake shape.

This season was bound to be a critical stepping stone in their future. Bradley Beal is set to become an unrestricted free agent after next season, which could prompt Beal to observe his suitors with less restriction that what he's been allowed to under contract. Wall's return from injury was coming at just the right time, and then the Wizards did the unthinkable as they traded Wall for the disgruntled former MVP Russell Westbrook.

While Westbrook is still a dominating force, his addition to the Wizards is a nightmare on the horizon.

Free agency

Before the star-for-star trade in which the Wizards obtained Westbrook, Washington's front office had ended the offseason on decent standards. They weren't able to land any noticeable free agents, which wasn't thought to be their move in the first place unless someone became available that could fit the mold of what they desired to achieve with a Wall-Beal backcourt.

Even so, they acted swiftly to re-sign Davis Bertans, who was bound to be quickly removed from the free agency pool if the Wizards hadn't elected to bring back the sharpshooter. Bertans had dramatically improved his value ever since being moved to the Wizards, and was seen as a minor feat in the three-team deal that saw him moved to Washington.

The 6-foot-10 forward nearly doubled his scoring averages with the Wizards last season, averaging 15.4 points per game while connecting on 42 percent of his 3-pointers. He quickly became a threat in a Wizards' offense that was down in strength with Wall still being sidelined.

Yet, the Wizards overspent on Bertans' services this offseason. While he does pose as a legitimate scoring threat from deep, his game doesn't transition overall to such a hefty payday. Washington decided to sign Bertans to a five-year, $80 million deal, which could become troublesome down the line.

Aside from that, the Wizards decided to stick mostly with the same roster they'd displayed during the 2019-20 season.

Draft

Washington has possibly found another building piece for the future after selecting Deni Avdija with the ninth pick in the draft. Avdija was a high-ceiling scorer that many clubs believed would be selected in the top five of the draft, which made it a no-brainer for the Wizards to pronounce on the opportunity of landing such a talent.

He was likely to see a heavy amount of playing time with a Wall-Beal backcourt, and that likely won't change with Westbrook in the fold.

Beal, Wall and the trade

There was no party on either side of the trade that can completely walk away feeling like the clear-cut victor.

The Rockets got an injury prone guard that hasn't seen any playing time since the 2018-19 season in which he only played 32 games before suffering a ruptured Achilles tendon. He only played in 41 games in the season before that, which could suggest that the Wizards front office was skeptical about Wall's health coming into the season.

Still, Wall is arguably the better option of the two choices if he's healthy, which seems to be the case given the emergence of videos showing his on-court comeback during workouts. If anything, the Wizards should've been willing to give the Wall-Beal duo the start of the season to see if the development and intensity continued to elevate as it did prior to Wall's injury. Westbrook was unlikely to be moved given the slow traction that the Rockets had with other teams in efforts to move him.

Now, the Wizards have a ball-dominant guard that chucks up an insane amount of mid-range jumpers that'll directly conflict with Beal's abilities. Westbrook already made it known to the Rockets front office that he preferred to have the offense run through him as it did with the Oklahoma City Thunder, which will likely be his request with the Wizards as well. That may not sit well with Beal, who is in the final year of his contract and coming off another season in which he was snubbed for All-Star honors along with not being an All-NBA selection.

Offseason Grade: C+

Westbrook is arguably entering the phase of his career where stat-padding becomes more of a priority than team numbers. The same on-court issues that took place with both the Thunder and the Rockets will surely transition to Washington.