Another Wizards loss — and this one might come with a departure

Jones originally hails from the Hampton Roads area of Virginia and has long yearned for a pro sports team in his home state. But moments before the Wizards’ 142-122 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans, Jones acknowledged, “I don’t know if I wanted it this way.”

Jones’s concerns echoed many fans’ in the wake of a Wednesday morning announcement from Wizards and Capitals owner Ted Leonsis and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) of a nonbinding agreement to move the two teams from downtown D.C. to an arena to be built in Northern Virginia as soon as 2028. The first concern is that the new complex will be less accessible than Capital One Arena because of its location in Alexandria’s Potomac Yard neighborhood.

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The second is that moving the team just doesn’t feel right.

“I would rather them stay in D.C. The drive in coming in from Virginia, we see all the monuments, we enjoy that view, we enjoy being in the downtown area, it all just fits together,” said Jones, who is also an ardent Capitals fan. “It’s a pretty smooth drive from Arlington. Time-wise, [the new location] may or may not matter for us, and I’ve seen a lot of people saying, yeah, it’s just a few miles away. But those few miles at 4 p.m., 5 p.m.?”

Jones considers himself in the middle of the spectrum of reactions to the news he’s seen online. While the teams’ move to a new location won’t stop his family from attending games, others such as Angela Tilghman, a retired D.C. principal and season-ticket holder for nearly two decades, are reconsidering their financial commitment to their hometown team.

Tilghman said Wednesday that the move felt like “a disservice” to the Wizards’ longtime season-ticket holders.

“I’ve been a season-ticket holder for 18, 19 years. I like sports, I like to come to the games. We’ve had really, really bad teams, really good teams, mediocre teams. But I still like to support my hometown team,” said Tilghman, who also has Mystics season tickets. “I don’t know if I’m going to keep my season tickets, because No. 1, I can park for free here because I have the ability to park downtown. But to go to Virginia, I would have to catch the Metro … if they’re moving to Virginia, they need to make it a Virginia team. That’s not a D.C. team.”

Wednesday’s attendance was announced at 14,080, leaving the building about three-quarters full.

“They can’t get enough people in here to fill the place up, I don’t know how they’re going to do it out there,” Tilghman said.

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Sacred B. Huff, a D.C. resident who says she attends games at Capital One Arena about once a month, said that the announcement coming at the start of a rebuild — the Wizards are 3-20 — left an even worse taste in her mouth.

“For us, we’re Wizards fans despite the losing streak because it’s culture. They’re here in D.C., you always root for the home team,” said Huff. “My initial thought is that [Potomac Yard] seems a bit far out of the way, especially when the Wizards don’t have a great winning streak. It seems like a hassle to go and see them. They’d have to make it worth it for the fans, and they haven’t done that.”

As for the Wizards themselves, players called the move bittersweet, even as they shared excitement at the prospect of a new arena and practice facility. Capital One Arena, which opened in 1997, is one of the older arenas in the NHL and NBA. The Wizards share a practice facility with the Mystics and G League’s Capital City Go-Go in Southeast Washington, far from where the players live and play home games.

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Renderings of the new Potomac Yard complex include plans for practice facilities for the Wizards and Capitals. While the Mystics would return to Capital One Arena for games, multiple sources with knowledge of Monumental’s plans said Wednesday the WNBA team would continue to hold practices and operate out of Entertainment and Sports Arena.

“I do feel like its exciting, just for the culture here. At the same time, it feels a bit sad, too, because it was like the first big thing here for the downtown area in D.C.” said starting center Daniel Gafford, who lived near Entertainment and Sports Arena when he was first traded to the Wizards. “I’m a bit 50-50 on it, but it’s not going to happen for what, five years? Thinking about it that way, it’s going to be a good thing for the organization, for the city. I think it’s going to turn out perfect for them.”

Guard Corey Kispert said a new arena and a facility is crucial to helping the Wizards keep pace with other NBA teams and could help the organization keep and attract talent on and off the court.

“That’s where we go to work every day, and how you set the environment for your workplace is so important … anything that we can do as an organization for the players, to make us feel at home and comfortable, is always welcome by us,” Kispert said.

“We as an organization, we as a team are pretty excited about the new move. It’s updated facilities, new change of venue, change of scenery for us. But we are also aware and thinking about what this arena means for the community. So it’s a little bit of a bittersweet thing, for sure. Things can be good and bad all at once.”

As for the game Wednesday night, the Wizards dropped their sixth straight after struggling again on the defensive end. Kyle Kuzma led the Wizards with 27 points but the team had no counter for the Pelicans’ Brandon Ingram, who scored 40 points in 31 minutes.

Washington led by double figures early, but the Pelicans — playing without star forward Zion Williamson (ankle sprain) — scored 47 points in the second quarter and led by 11 at intermission. The Wizards never threatened after that.