Wizards and WNBA Mystics Owner Ted Leonsis expects that he will "know by the end of the summer" where to put a new practice facility, according to Jorge Castillo of the WASHINGTON POST. Leonsis on Monday explained that he "is still looking into potential sites in the District, Maryland and Virginia, and hasn’t fielded any offers, only inquiries." He "emphasized how important it was for the Wizards to upgrade their headquarters to compete with other franchises." The Wizards and Mystics "currently practice at 17-year-old Verizon Center, where there is just one cramped practice court without seating and a shared weight room." Leonsis said that the facility "would be built 18 to 24 months after the site is determined and would house both the Wizards and Mystics" plus "potentially host a D-League team in the future." Leonsis explained that he "wants the facility to have seating for the public so a D-League team could play its games at the building" like Lakers affiliate L.A. D-Fenders. Leonsis said that sharing the same building "would allow the D-League affiliate to work more directly with the Wizards’ staff, but he also indicated the D-League team could play in a smaller nearby market." The Wizards currently are partnered with the Ft. Wayne Mad Ants, which had 13 NBA team partnerships last season. Leonsis said of a D-League franchise, "I don’t see it as a business. I see it more as a developmental tool" (WASHINGTON POST, 5/27).
