....I didn't include Andray Blatche in the "young" players because the 23-year-old forward is in his fifth season, but he'll be a key piece of any rebuilding in D.C. I say that for one simple reason: He'll be promoted to the starting lineup if the Wizards use their most playable card, trading power forward Antawn Jamison.
A 33-year-old veteran, Jamison has been very reliable in terms of durability and production over the past half-decade. If Washington moves into tear-down mode, Jamison might be the first player for the Wizards to move, given his contract, which has two more years after this one at a cost of $28 million. The Wizards could provide themselves with some much-needed cap flexibility in future seasons by dispensing with their obligation to Jamison; if they structured a deal wisely enough and offloaded enough salary flotsam at the trade deadline (the expiring deals of Mike Miller, Randy Foye, Brendan Haywood or Mike James, for instance), they could even get under the luxury tax for 2009-10.
Washington should also look into finding a new home for 29-year-old Caron Butler; dealing him for an expiring contract could shave another $10 million from next season's bill. That might be done more easily, however, if Butler would make some shots. He's having his worst season since his second one in Miami, shooting only 41.4 percent from the floor and shedding four points from his 40-minute scoring average.
Regardless, it's going to be a long way back up for the Wizards if they start down this road. Otherwise, it's a veteran team, with the decision to trade the No. 5 pick in the draft for Mike Miller and Randy Foye only exacerbating the Wizards' increasingly tilted age profile. Washington would be looking at a lineup going forward of Arenas, Blatche, a high draft pick and not a whole lot else. The Wizards would have enough cap space to entice a free agent, but probably not a good enough roster to get anybody truly impactful to commit.
Given such an unappealing scenario, it's not surprising that the Warriors have been more enthusiastic than the Wizards in embracing the idea of rebuilding. Washington seems likely to ride things out as long as possible with the current crew before waving the white flag, especially given the handy excuse that injuries have prevented the Wizards from having a full roster this season. Of course, that's been their rallying cry for years now, and every time it gets a little less credible...