The Washington Wizards could be in the early stages of building a new conference rival. According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the league’s Board of Governors is set to conduct the first round of voting for a possible two-team expansion by the end of March. With that, other rumors suggest either the Memphis Grizzlies or Minnesota Timberwolves could be moving to the Eastern Conference. Washington has rebooted their roster and is looking to make a big postseason push. With that, could one of these teams become a roadblock that brings on a rivalry?
Wizards Could Create A New Rivalry If League Votes To Expand
The past few seasons, Washington has failed miserably in “rivalry” games. The most notable of them all is the Charlotte Hornets, who swept the Wizards this season. Washington’s new era should help with that, and adding another “rival” could be exactly what the team needs. Out of the two possible conference additions, who could make the case for Washington’s next major competitor?
Memphis Grizzlies
The Grizzlies would make sense geologically. Similar to the Hornets, Memphis is located just a state away from the DMV. In turn, this makes it a battle of smaller franchises that are just a few hours away from each other. Both teams have loyal fans who defend their teams to the ends of the earth. However, what’s the case for them to become rivals?
The teams feature two of the best guards in the game, with Ja Morant and Trae Young. Washington and Memphis both feature great young talents like Alex Sarr, GG Jackson, Zach Edey, and Kyshawn George. They pair up well, but Memphis is entering what could be an extremely long rebuild, with the possibility of losing Morant sooner than later. Washington is moving into what could be a top-four position in the Eastern Conference, with a chance to make some noise in the next few postseasons. So, while it does make geographical sense, these two will be on opposite sides of the conference if everything falls into place.
Currently, the record between the pair is 26-33 in the Grizzlies’ favor. As of now, the teams only play each other twice a season. That could all change within just the next few seasons. For a Grizzlies-Wizards rivalry, the geography makes sense, but does the competition? In six of their last dozen meetings, games were decided by 10 points or less. Neither team has ever won more than four games in a row against the other. Washington did sweep Memphis this season, but both games were highly contested, being separated by only 12 points between the two final scores.
Minnesota Timberwolves
While Memphis offers a close geographical tie to the DMV, the Timberwolves offer extreme competitive fire. They would join the Eastern Conference as an immediate favorite to go to the finals. That offers the competitive atmosphere that rivalries are built upon, and both teams are looking to make deep runs in the postseason for the next several seasons.
The Timberwolves offer a top-five player in the league with 24-year-old Anthony Edwards. The four-time NBA All-Star and his co-star Julius Randle offer plenty of offense, while Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels handle the defense. Edwards and Randle versus Young and his co-star Anthony Davis, with both teams’ supporting casts being the difference makers in the future contests. Minnesota lacks the significant young talent that Washington has. However, the mix of tough competition and stardom on the court will lead to the early makings of an intense rivalry.
The Wizards hold a slight advantage over Minnesota all-time with a record of 40-31. Since the 2019-20 season, Washington has won eight of the 14 contests, including seven in a row from 2019 to 2023. Both teams would headline a still wide-open conference, with Washington, the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, and Minnesota being the frontrunners if the Timberwolves were to move over.
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