Hoops Rumors is breaking down the 2017 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, revisiting the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll evaluate each team’s moves from the last several months and look ahead to what the 2017/18 season holds for all 30 franchises. Today, we’re focusing on the Washington Wizards.
Signings:
- Otto Porter: Four years, $106.525MM (25% maximum salary). Fourth-year player option. Matched Nets’ offer sheet.
- Jodie Meeks: Two years, $6.745MM. Second-year player option.
- Mike Scott: One year, minimum salary.
- Devin Robinson: Two-way contract. Two years. $50K guaranteed for each season.
- Michael Young: Two-way contract. Two years. $50K guaranteed for each season.
Camp invitees:
- Carrick Felix: One year, minimum salary. Exhibit nine.
- Donald Sloan: One year, minimum salary. Exhibit nine. (Waived)
Trades:
- Acquired Tim Frazier from the Pelicans in exchange for the No. 52 overall pick.
Draft picks:
- None
Extensions:
- John Wall: Four years, 35% maximum salary. Designated Veteran Extension. Starts in 2019/20.
Departing players:
Other offseason news:
- Laurene Powell Jobs buying significant minority stake in Monumental Sports & Entertainment, Wizards.
- Markieff Morris acquitted on aggravated assault charges; Morris out until November due to sports hernia surgery.
- Sheldon Mac to miss most or all of season due to torn Achilles.
- Will add G League affiliate for 2018/19 season.
Salary cap situation:
- Operating over the cap and over the tax line by approximately $4MM. Carrying approximately $123.5MM in guaranteed team salary. Portion of taxpayer mid-level exception ($1.902MM) still available.
Check out the Washington Wizards’ full roster and depth chart at RosterResource.com.
Story of the summer:
Restricted free agency was an all-or-nothing proposition for many players this summer, with multiple RFAs – including Nerlens Noel and Alex Len – remaining on the market for months before signing their respective qualifying offers. Others – like Shabazz Muhammad and Joffrey Lauvergne – had those QOs rescinded, forcing them to settle for minimum salary contracts.
On the other end of the spectrum, however, was Otto Porter. The top restricted free agent on the market, Porter reportedly received a maximum-salary proposal from the Kings before instead inking a max offer sheet with the Nets. That four-year offer, worth north of $106MM, also featured a 15% trade kicker and a fourth-year player option, making it as player-friendly as possible — and, in turn, not so team-friendly for the Wizards.
If the Wizards had decided that a price tag exceeding $26MM annually simply wasn’t worth it for Porter, it would have been hard to fault them for that. After all, even though Porter enjoyed his best season as a pro in 2016/17, posting a blistering .516/.434/.832 shooting line, he wouldn’t be more than the third option in Washington, with the team leaning heavily on John Wall and Bradley Beal to carry the ball-handling and scoring loads.
Letting Porter go to the Nets would have left the Wizards with a significant hole at small forward though, and the team wouldn’t have had the financial flexibility to acquire a viable replacement. So, stuck between a rock and a hard place, the Wizards moved swiftly to match Porter’s offer sheet and brought him back into the fold.
The move loomed large over the rest of the Wizards’ offseason, ensuring that the club would surpass the luxury tax threshold and would be unable to make any other major splashes. Even minor upgrades to the bench would be tricky for the cap-strapped Wiz. But after the franchise posted its highest win total (49) in nearly four decades, the front office wasn’t about to let its 24-year-old starting small forward get away for nothing.
Key offseason losses:
The Wizards did let one RFA small forward go this summer, as Bojan Bogdanovic became too expensive to re-sign once it became clear Porter would be back. Bogdanovic was only a Wizard for a few short months at the end of the 2016/17 campaign, but he was one of the club’s most reliable marksmen during that stretch, making 39.1% of his three-point tries in 26 regular season contests. His outside shot will be missed.
The other notable offseason departures for the Wizards were less worrisome than the loss of Bogdanovic. In fact, parting ways with Trey Burke and Brandon Jennings may end up being addition by subtraction, given how little the duo gave the Wizards last season as Wall’s backups at the point. Jennings, in particular, saw his numbers crater after heading to Washington when he was bought out by the Knicks. The Wizards hoped Jennings could provide some much-needed bench scoring, but he shot just 27.4% from the field and averaged 3.5 PPG in 23 regular season games in D.C.
Key offseason additions:
The Wizards’ second unit was a significant area of concern for the team in 2016/17, so adding a shooter to replace Bogdanovic and a reliable point guard to back up Wall was a top priority heading into the offseason. Washington addressed the point guard spot first, completing a pre-draft trade with the Pelicans for Tim Frazier.
Frazier, who is playing for his fourth team in four NBA seasons, certainly won’t be the best backup point guard in the NBA, but he was solid in New Orleans last season, averaging 7.1 PPG and 5.2 APG in 65 games. He also came fairly cheap — he’s earning just $2MM in 2017/18, and only cost the Wizards the 52nd overall pick in their trade with New Orleans.
It’s possible the Wizards could have landed a veteran backup for an even more modest price in free agency, considering Raymond Felton, Ramon Sessions, Mario Chalmers, Aaron Brooks, and even Derrick Rose were among the point guards who inked minimum salary deals. But it made sense for the Wizards to play it safe and address the position early in the offseason, recognizing that the free agent market could be unpredictable.
The Wizards did delve into the free agent market to sign a replacement for Bogdanovic, landing on veteran sharpshooter Jodie Meeks. It’s a somewhat risky move, as injuries have limited Meeks to just 39 games in the last two seasons. But if he’s healthy, the former second-roud pick is an inexpensive rotation piece, and one who is reliable from the outside — he has made 37.6% of his career three-point attempts.
Washington also signed Mike Scott and Carrick Felix to minimum salary deals. Scott should have a rotation role this season, providing some additional frontcourt depth.
Outlook for 2017/18:
The Wizards received a healthy dose of criticism – or at least skepticism – a year ago for signing Beal to a maximum salary contract, but the young shooting guard responded by staying healthy for a career-high 77 games and enjoying a career year. If Porter makes the same sort of leap Beal did during the first season on his own mega-deal, Washington will be in position to challenge the Cavaliers for the Eastern Conference crown.
Even without huge strides from Porter, the Wizards are in an enviable position this season. Conference rivals like the Cavaliers, Celtics, and Raptors underwent major offseason changes and have real questions to answer on the court this season. The Wizards, on the other hand, still look a lot like the team that finished last season on a 42-20 run, then got within one game of the Eastern Finals.
On paper, that Wizards team looks like it may still be one piece away from legit title contention, but with so many Eastern contenders going through periods of transition, the door may be open this season for Washington to make a surprisingly deep playoff run.
Salary information from Basketball Insiders used in the creation of this post. Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
I thought the Wizards offseason was pretty disappointing.