Wizards' owner Ted Leonsis publicly supported Gilbert Arenas multiple times and initially preferred for the team to keep him.

But Leonsis' position changed, according to sources, when he started to believe that Arenas no longer wanted to be a member of the team.

A person with knowledge of the situation said that Leonsis became upset after hearing that Arenas was telling those close to him that a home loss to the Los Angeles Lakers would be his final game in a Wizards uniform and that he was likely headed to Orlando.

The comment was a surprise to Leonsis, according to the source, because he was unaware of any trade discussions involving Arenas.

The Wizards dealt Arenas to Orlando two days later.