Reports about the Washington Wizards’ search for a practice facility site have swirled in recent weeks without a member of the organization addressing the matter on the record. That changed Monday, when owner Ted Leonsis published a post on his blog outlining the search’s status and objectives.
“It is true that we would like to build a practice facility that is world class for the Washington Wizards,” Leonsis wrote. “I was on record saying that in 2013. While this concept may be new to Washington, many NBA teams have done just that of late. I believe as many as 18 teams have – or will have in the near future – a standalone practice facility.”
In addition to becoming the Wizards’ front-office base and practice location, Leonsis wrote the facility could also become the base of operations for the WNBA’s Washington Mystics and home to an NBA D-League team. He discredited a report that claimed a 5,000-seat facility that would host Mystics home games is in the works.
“We have advised government officials in D.C. and Virginia of our interest, had discussions with developers who own land and want to see if we could partner with them and we have visited potential sites to get a sense of location and suitability,” Leonsis wrote. “But we are not yet to the point of finalizing locations, budgets, designs or possible business deals.
“We have seen sketches of what a building might look like, but they are not advanced plans and just very rough renderings. We are at the beginning stages, and we have a lot of work to do before any decision could be made. After a decision is made, it might take 18 to 24 months to build the facility.”
The Wizards currently practice and house their front-office operations at Verizon Center, where they, the Mystics, the Georgetown men’s basketball team, and the Capitals also play home games. The Wizards’ current practice accommodations consist of one court without seating and a weight room the team shares with the building’s other tenants.