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Wizards Pick Up 2017/18 Option On Kelly Oubre

October 21st, 2016 at 8:36am CST by Luke Adams

OCTOBER 21: The Wizards have made it official, formally picking up Oubre’s third-year option, per RealGM.

AUGUST 2: In an unsurprising move, the Wizards will exercise the third-year option on Kelly Oubre‘s rookie contract, reports J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic.com. Washington won’t have to rush to make the move official, since the deadline for rookie-scale option decisions is still nearly three months away.

Rookie-scale contracts for first-round picks feature two guaranteed seasons, followed by two non-guaranteed team options. Teams must make decision on those options a year in advance, by October 31. Generally, those third- and fourth-year salaries are so affordable – particularly under the new salary cap – that it makes sense for teams to exercise those options unless the player has been a total bust.

Oubre, the 15th overall pick in last year’s draft, didn’t receive a ton of playing time in his rookie season, but flashed potential when he saw the floor. The 20-year-old, who played his college ball at Kansas, appeared in 63 games for the Wizards in 2015/16, averaging 3.7 PPG and 2.1 RPG in 10.7 minutes per contest.

Oubre’s contract will pay him about $2MM this season, while his third-year option for 2017/18 will be worth about $2.093MM. A year from now, the Wizards will have to make a decision on Oubre’s fourth-year option for 2018/19, which will pay him $3.209MM if it’s picked up.

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Andrew Nicholson Looking Sharp

October 19th, 2016 at 10:58pm CST by ChrisCrouse
  • The Wizards are impressed by Andrew Nicholson‘s game so far during the preseason, Candace Buckner of The Washington Post writes. “He gets buckets,” Thornton said of Nicholson. “You throw it down to him, 90 to 95 percent of the time it’s going to be a foul or a bucket. We joke around about that every day. We call him a ‘walking bucket.’” Coach Scott Brooks called Nicholson “very fundamental sound” and added that the big man simply isn’t going to make many mistakes. The 26-year-old power forward signed a four-year, $26MM deal with the team during the offseason.
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Wall's Progress Hurts Ware's Chances

October 15th, 2016 at 9:00pm CST by Arthur Hill
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Ian Mahinmi Out 4-6 Weeks With Knee Injury

October 15th, 2016 at 11:08am CST by Eddie Scarito

The Wizards frontcourt depth has taken a hit to start the season with the news that Ian Mahinmi has suffered a partially torn medial meniscus in his left knee, according to a press release from the team. An MRI revealed the partial tear and Mahinmi underwent successful surgery on Friday evening, according to the report. He is expected to be sidelined for four to six weeks as a result.

After starting just 21 of his 367 career NBA games before last season, Mahinmi received a more significant role from the Pacers, and started all 71 of the games he played for the team in 2015/16. Mahinmi parlayed his solid year in Indiana into one of the more impressive free agent contracts of the summer, agreeing to a four-year, $64MM deal with the team in July.

The 29-year-old was slotted as the primary backup to center Marcin Gortat, with the Wizards reportedly expecting big things this season from Mahinmi. With Jason Smith, Johnny O’Bryant and Andrew Nicholson the only current options on the roster to absorb Mahinmi’s minutes, none of whom are true centers, Washington may need to consider adding another big man to the roster for insurance.

In three preseason games for the team, Mahinmi shot 55.6% from the field and averaged 4.0 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.0 assist and 1.0 steal in 13.6 minutes per outing.

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Ian Mahinmi Still Getting Comfortable In Washington

October 14th, 2016 at 1:40pm CST by Luke Adams

After having started just 21 of his 367 career NBA games before last season, Ian Mahinmi was elevated to a more significant role by the Pacers, and started all 71 of the games he played for the team in 2015/16. Mahinmi parlayed his solid year in Indiana into one of the more impressive free agent contracts of the summer — Timofey Mozgov‘s four-year, $64MM deal with the Lakers drew plenty of headlines and criticism while Mahinmi’s identical contract with the Wizards flew under the radar, by comparison.

As Candace Buckner of The Washington Post details, Mahinmi’s lucrative new contract means the Wizards are expecting big things from their new center, who says he’s still getting comfortable in Washington. “I feel like I’m back with my first year with the Pacers,” Mahinmi said. “I didn’t know [many people], but… I had to [take it] one day at time and show that you can rely on me, that I’m going to be there for them on and off the court. This is how I feel right now. It’s not the easiest thing to deal with, but I’ve done it before, so I’m going to be all right.”

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Wizards Expected To Waive Daniel Ochefu

October 7th, 2016 at 6:33pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Wizards will soon waive Daniel Ochefu, international journalist David Pick reports (Twitter link). Washington signed the forward to partially guaranteed, three year minimum salary deal over the summer.

The franchise entered the day with 18 players under contract, as the team’s depth chart at Roster Resource indicates. Washington bolstered their bench through free agency, adding Ian Mahinmi and Jason Smith in the frontcourt, so the 22-year-old was never expected to make the team.

Ochefu averaged 10.0 points and 7.5 rebounds in 23.4 minutes per game for Villanova. He was a major contributor in the Wildcats’ championship run.

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Morris Focused On Improving 3-Point Shot

October 6th, 2016 at 7:21pm CST by Dana Gauruder
  • Wizards power forward Markieff Morris focused this summer on improving his 3-point shot, Candace Buckner of the Washington Post reports. Morris has averaged 32.3% from long range during his career and made 31.6% of his 3-point attempts after he was dealt from the Suns to Washington during last season’s trade deadline. Morris attempted more mid-range shots (265) than any other area on the floor, Buckner notes, but Morris wants to make the 3-point shot a bigger part of his game. “It’s kind of like you have no choice now with the way the league is,” Morris told Buckner. “You got to be able to make that shot at the four. I’ve been working all summer trying to get better at it, continuing to get better at it.”
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McClellan Impressing Coaching Staff

October 4th, 2016 at 10:06pm CST by Eddie Scarito
  • Undrafted rookie Sheldon McClellan has impressed the Wizards‘ coaching staff and the guard has a good shot to make the team’s regular season roster, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel relays (via Twitter). When asked about the 23-year-old’s chances to stick with the team, coach Scott Brooks said, “He has a great chance. . . . He has a pro game.” McClellan’s minimum salary deal includes a modest partial guarantee of $50K, which isn’t likely to factor into Washington’s decision-making process regarding the player.
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Players Who Can Veto Trades

October 4th, 2016 at 10:14am CST by Luke Adams

No-trade clauses are rare in the NBA, and they became even rarer this offseason, when several players with those clauses in their contracts either called it a career or signed new deals. Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, and Kevin Garnett, who all opted for retirement, had no-trade clauses last season, and so did Dwyane Wade, who doesn’t have the same protection on his new contract with the Bulls.

Nonethless, while the list of players with explicit no-trade clauses may be dwindling, there are still several players each year who have the ability to veto trades. A player who re-signs with his previous team on a one-year contract – or a two-year contract with an option clause – is given no-trade protection, and so is a player who signs an offer sheet and has that offer matched by his previous team. Players who accept qualifying offers after their rookie deals expire can also block deals, though no restricted free agents signed their QOs this year.

Taking into account that list of criteria, here are the players who must give their consent if their teams want to trade them during the 2016/17 league year:

No-trade clauses

Players whose offer sheets were matched

Players accepting qualifying offers

  • None

Players re-signing for one year (or two years including an option)

Information from Basketball Insiders and Yahoo! Sports was used in the creation of this post.

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