As has been well reported by all major media outlets, Gilbert Arenas of the Washington Wizards has been indefinitely suspended by the NBA. For an intro on this topic, read ESPN’s latest update. A more detailed explanation of the actual events taking place in the Wizards locker room can be found in this article on the Washington Post’s web site. While it’s become obvious how deranged not only Arenas is, but the situation in itself has become, there could possibly be an enormous benefit from this incident to the future of the Washington Wizards’ franchise.

The NBA’s most recent collective bargaining agreement contained language stating that players bringing firearms into any NBA practice facility, arena, or even public appearance are in violation of the current player conduct rules. One of the most striking revelations in this was Arenas admitting to transporting the weapons into the locker room. Rarely does someone so openly admit to performing such an ill thought action, but as you have likely learned by now, it is perfectly reasonable for Arenas. The glaring opportunity for the Wizards is if they can now void Arenas absolutely absurd contract (6 years, $111 million dollars).

His salary cap figure broken down by year:

The availability of the much heralded free agent class of 2010 is soon approaching. If the Arenas’ contract is eligible to become null and void, the Wizards can easily become prime players in this market. In addition to the monstrous cap figure Arenas presents vanishing, Washington owns two of the most attractive trade assets available. Shooting guard / small forward Caron Butler has been the love interest of several west coast teams for the past three years, and veteran power forward Antawn Jamison could push any title contender to the next level. The following scenarios I foresee to be the most likely and beneficial for both teams involved (all assume that the Arenas contract has been stricken from the books).

1. Scenario One – Washington and Cleveland – Cleveland sends Antawn Jamison to Washington for the expiring contract of Zydrunas Ilgauskas. This makes sense for both teams as Washington unloads their last large, long term contract, and can build around this year’s lottery pick and Caron Butler. Cleveland gets a face up forward who can rebound and would be a nice complement to LeBron’s penetration game.
2. Scenario Two – Washington and Dallas – Dallas send Erick Dampier and Drew Gooden to Washington for Brendan Haywood and Antawn Jamison. A little trickier, as both players leaving the Big D are contributing in the one area that Dallas sorely lacks – an inside presence that is tough and can rebound. Dallas would be able to have a crunchtime lineup with some variation of Kidd, Terry, Jamison, Dirk, Howard, and Haywood. With Dirk and Jamison’s ability to stretch the floor, this could pose a problem for the Lakers – something most teams are unable to do. Washington gets back two expiring contracts and wipes an additional $16 million off the books. This to me seems to be situation for both teams.
3. Scenario Three – Washingon and Chicago – Washington sends Antawn Jamison AND Caron Butler to Chicago for Brad Miller, Jerome James, and Tyrus Thomas. Washington loses all of the talent and big contracts off of their roster, but sheds approximately $23.5 million dollars in cap space. Chicago essentially gives up on the 2010 free agent class, but acquires two positions they have struggled to find. This assumes that Butler will play purely the shooting guard position, which he is capable of doing on both ends of the court. The Bulls surround rookie point guard Derrick Rose with Butler, Deng, Jamison, and Noah, a solid mix of youth, veteran experience, and more importantly, talent. Jamison will have three years to assist Chicago in molding Taj Gibson as the power forward of the future, while allowing Heinrich and Salmons to come off the bench for a scoring punch. The Bulls rotation is a little depleted, but ensures a playoff appearance for the next three years.

Is the Washington franchise popular enough to attract the big players in the free agent class of 2010? Recently deceased owner Abe Pollin always wanted Washington to be in contention, and it is assumed that his heirs will continue to do so. If Washington is able to shed Butler and Jamison, they become one of the few teams that can add three max players. This means that Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, and Chris Bosh could all be signed by the former Bullets. A more likely scenario to me would be holding on to Caron Butler and making a major push for Chris Bosh and Joe Johnson. This would instantly launch Washington into the Eastern Conference elite, and put their names in conversations with Boston, Orlando, and Cleveland. What would attract such players to the nation’s capitol? I know one hoops fan who would be quite a selling point.

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