However, the deal was voided claiming that Miami exceeded their salary cap;[11][12][13][14][15] the Bullets quickly re-signed Howard, but would lose their first-round draft pick next year.
[27] On the final day of the regular season on April 20, 1997, the Bullets defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers, 85–81 at the Gund Arena to capture the #8 seed in the Eastern Conference.
The Bulls would go on to defeat the Utah Jazz in six games in the NBA Finals, winning their fifth championship in seven years.
In 1995, Bullets owner Abe Pollin decided to change the team's name due to gun violence in Washington D.C., and after the assassination of his friend, Israel Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.
[49][50][51][52][53] However, the Bullets were held up by a copyright lawsuit filed by the Harlem Wizards, a traveling comedy basketball team with the same name.