Wizards big man Kristaps Porzingis had perhaps the best offensive game of his career on Wednesday vs. Atlanta, scoring 43 points on 17-of-22 shooting. However, it wasn’t enough to hold off the Hawks, who pulled out a two-point comeback win in D.C.
As Ava Wallace of The Washington Post writes, Porzingis is one of two starting Wizards forwards – along with Kyle Kuzma – who can become free agents this offseason, and the team’s up-and-down play is a reminder that the way the rest of the season plays out could have a major impact on Washington’s future.
The franchise needs to assess the upside of its current big three (Porzingis, Kuzma, and Bradley Beal), while Porzingis and Kuzma will have to decide whether they believe the Wizards can become a contender. Porzingis, who has said that Washington’s performance the rest of this season will be a factor he considers as he weighs his future, wants to make sure the team’s effort level doesn’t wane in the next few weeks.
“What frustrates me the most is when we have been down or we’re not playing our best basketball and I don’t feel like we want it. I hate that. We were supposed to be the most hungry team out there, we haven’t done anything, we’re not even in the top-six playoff picture,” Porzingis said after a tight win over Detroit on Tuesday. “So I don’t like when we’re not hungry, that’s what bothers me the most. But if I see that, like the games we lost against Toronto and Milwaukee (on Saturday and Sunday)? I felt the hunger in us. I felt like we wanted it, we were going after it, we were fighting hard, it was a physical game — I can live with that. It’s only when we’re not fighting that it bothers me.”
Here’s more from around the Southeast:
- Sam Vecenie and Josh Robbins of The Athletic take a closer look at Xavier Cooks, exploring what the 27-year-old forward will bring to the Wizards. Cooks, who has been starring for the Sydney Kings of the NBL, is expected to sign with Washington in the coming days. Vecenie praises Cooks for his passing ability and defensive versatility, but suggests that he’ll need to improve his outside shooting if he hopes to establish himself as an NBA rotation player.
- After not playing at all during his last few weeks in Cleveland, Kevin Love has started his first seven games and averaged 22.2 minutes per night for the Heat. However, he’s not getting the results he hoped for so far, posting a shooting line of just .396/.242/.875, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Nonetheless, head coach Erik Spoelstra still believes Love is a “great fit” for Miami’s starting five. “It’s a short period of time, but he really complements that starting group,” Spoelstra said.
- Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. has missed three consecutive games due to left hip pain, but is optimistic about his chances of returning to action on Saturday vs. Miami, he tells Khobi Price of The Orlando Sentinel (subscriber-only link).
KP will have a significant salary reduction take place, so I think his fit, and desire to be in that particular city, on that particular team will be the biggest factor in the off-season, and his next contract.
The fact that KP recently had a great game, and they still lost speaks volumes to his overall, and underlying value to the Wiz moving forward.
I doubt he is a Wizard next season.
He’s having the best season of his career, squarely in his prime, obv extremely talented & nba salaries continue to rise. What makes you think he’s headed toward a significant salary reduction?.. Why would DC let him go? Clearly Deni can’t take his place & they just traded Rui
Are you instigating, or genuinely confused about the current state of the Wizards?
To answer your question I wouldn’t even know where to begin, so I’ll try to condense it:
There are so many variables, and factors with the Wizards moving into the off-season that it would be a futile exercise to attempt to predict the franchise moves, or KP’s.
I don’t know what the Market will bear in 3 months, but Bank of America, and Chase Manhattan are rumored to be insolvent currently.
What that does to offseason NBA contracts is anyone’s guess, but I have a few ideas for another forum.
So that, coupled with KP not being worth $30M a season are 2 reasons KP, his salary, and future with the Wizards are not foregone conclusions in my opinion.
If he was looking at any sort of salary reduction he would just exercise his player option.
So either way, he isn’t taking a cut
KP is looking for fit, and $ I think. Wiz likely told him they would look to trade him if they had to pay the player option. Or both sides agreed to let him play for his next contract to see if they could come closer on the terms, if far apart.
I think KP finds the fit, and Money he wants next season on another team, and why he turned down an easy pay-day that would make most NBA GM’s choke on their bagel if they had to pay
He is taking a pay-cut based on teams with available cap next season currently. Things can change, but there aren’t many suitors.
D.C. is likely saying we don’t like $30M, but $20M is doable, and we won’t look to immediately trade you.
Just are not a lot of options in free agency next season, and KP is not a hot commodity
1 of the main takeaways from Quin Snyder’s 1st week coaching my Hawks is that he really likes Jalen Johnson. JJ could even surpass John Collins as our starting 4 by the start of next season… link to m.youtube.com
Johnson needs to work on his jumper and free-throws a bit, but he’s young. He’ll get used to it. I definitely like his hustle. Definitely a positive on defense.
I hope the Hawks find a taker for Collins so he can get on a team that makes good use of his skillset. He’s just not a good fit for the Hawks, but the talent is still there.
Runs an 8-man rotation, and A.J. Griffin is not in it
(Jordan Goodwin + Anthony Gill)/2 = Xavier Cooks… or…. Xavier Cooks = Australian Deni Avdija
S&T KP and KK + trade BB for as much as you can get before he becomes John Wall 2.0.
Wizards are going no where and won’t go anywhere with these 3 guys. Blow it up and move on.
I think Beal has a no trade clause, but hard agree.
So glad KP has found the form which made him one of the best PF/Cs in the game offensively.
Washington is just such a mediocre team.
I like Beal, I’m not sold on Kuzma and I’ve always had a little bit of a soft spot of KP. But they just miss on so many draft picks (Davis, Avidja, Kispert, Hachimura, Brown to name a few). Granted they are all in that 9-15 range but still every year they were in a position to tank and get a better pick or simply draft the right player.
This year I would’ve taken Jalen Duren over Johnny Davis. You didn’t need another back up SG after Beal signed his deal, but you did need a defensive minded centre that’ll get blocks and boards. 2021, instead of Kispert imagine Trey Murphy. The worst has to be 2020 when they had John Wall very injured and needed to replace him they could’ve had Tyrese Haliburton but chose Deni Avdija….
Now they are in the position of having Beal on this ridiculous contract, KP on a big deal and needing to pay Kuzma really big money and all for what?
This year they have played 44 out of a possible 66 games together and have a below .500 record and sit 10th.
Why invest all this money into a team that’s not achieving anything?
And it’s not like they have made any trades to try get better they are just content on doing nothing.
It’s hard just trying to make a deal to be better now. Cause Beals contract is so expensive, Kuzma would have to be a sign and trade at a reduced value and KP I feel is the most deserving player to stay and even if you moved him he’s such a unique talent it’s an odd fit for most teams.
Best I could think of would be Bradley Beal for Jalen Suggs, Jonathan Issac, Wendell Carter Jr and their own first this year.
Which would leave the Magic looking like
Suggs (5th overall pick) Kuzma KP Carter Jr
Morris Davis/Kispert Avidja Issac Gafford
Plus their own pick this year likely around 10th spot again. Clears you of Beals deal, you have 2 really good picks this year, and you get 3 former top 10 picks.
Orlando lines up Fultz Beal Franz Paolo and need a new centre. Coke Anthony Harris Houstan Bol Mortz. As for that centre spot you do have the Bulls pick this year and could use FA to get a guy like Drummond, Noel, Tristan Thompson, or bring back Vuce
Wouldn’t want to be the Washington GM, feels like it’s a lose lose situation, overpay to keep KP and Kuzma or let them walk