Off-Season Grade: Washington Wizards

Patience is the name of the game in Washington.

Trades

Washington had a quiet off season in terms of the trade market, this may be surprising as Washington are one of the teams looking to take the next step and be a playoff team this season. It isn’t like they don’t have any trade assets; they have two large expiring contracts in both Trevor Ariza (7.7million) and Emeka Okafor (14.4million).  However, Washington has stayed quiet, I expect them to make a move closer to the NBA trade deadline, especially if they are still in the hunt for their first playoff berth since 2008. They did make one small transaction, trading the 38^th and 54^th picks to move up in the draft and grab Glen Rice Jr with the 35^th pick. This seems to have been a good trade for Washington as Rice Jr has impressed during his performances in summer league, but this will be explored more in the “Draft” section below.

Grade: B

Free Agency

Despite John Wall not counting as a free agent, his re-signing was by far the most important aspect of the Wizards off season in my opinion, Ernie Grunfeld would disagree with me though. Wall signed a max deal worth $80 million over five years, is that too much for someone who has been plagued by injuries and never made an all star team? I believe it is, but at least they now have their face of the franchise locked up, even if it is at a premium price. If Wall plays the entire 2013-14 season the way he finished last Spring then Wizards fans should have reason for excitement, In March Wall averaged 22.9 points, 7.8 assists and 4.8 rebounds per game. He shot 47.8 percent from the floor and took 7.5 free throws a game.  Those numbers are comparable to Westbrook and Derrick Rose who are two established franchise players.

Washington had a fairly underwhelming and confusing free agency, Ernie Grunfeld felt the urge to sign borderline NBA talent and journeyman Garrett Temple on almost the first day of free agency. This just seemed strange considering there were still a plethora of talented guards out there, Temple is the kind of guy who normally gets signed a week or two before training camp not in the middle of the summer! The Wizards also resigned veteran swingman Martell Webster for $21.99 million over four years. Webster will bring a strong veteran presence and help spread the floor for the likes of a driving John Wall. Webster was Washington’s number one priority for free agency according to Grunfeld (What!?), However this does speak volumes of his off the court presence and some of his value probably won’t be seen by fans on the court. This signing should also take some of the pressure off rookie Otto Porter who looks to be struggling early on in his professional career. The final free agent signing was of backup point guard Eric Maynor, formerly of the OKC Thunder and the Portland Trail Blazers Maynor has struggled since returning from his torn ACL. If Maynor can stay healthy and begin to work on his game, not just rehabbing his knee then he should become a serviceable backup to John Wall.

Finally, the last free agent signing for Washington has been Al Harrington. Wall has been urging management to go after a stretch four since the draft when the rumours swirled around Anthony Bennett thanks to Chris Sheridan. Harrington is a great pick up IF he can stay healthy which has proved to be a challenge. However, Harrington is only one season removed from 14.2 PPG  6.1RPG and he is a career .352% shooter from three.

None of the players Washington have signed in free agency figure to be difference makers, for this reason I can understand why Wizard fans may feel somewhat underwhelmed by their team’s summer, but be patient. The signing of Wall limits what Washington can do going forward due to CAP constraints, I think Washington are waiting to see how Wall performs this season before really investing heavily into his surrounding cast.

Grade: C+

Draft

The Wizards were one of the only teams in the lottery to follow the script on draft night when they selected Otto Porter with the 3^rd overall pick in the draft. Porter was never a high upside pick, he is a consummate professional and a solid overall prospect, but in a regular strength draft he would be a mid to late lottery selection. Nobody expected Porter to struggle as much as he did in summer league where he averaged 6.3 PPG 3.7 RPG and 1.0 APG on just .300% shooting. Porter spent a large amount of time at shooting guard which takes time to adjust, but for anyone who watched the games it was more than just Porter playing a new position. Porter struggled with all aspects of his game, one example is his handle, Kent Bazemore of GSW said “Otto Porter and [Ben] McLemore, their handle wasn’t as tight as a lead guy. So I had ample opportunity just to reach.”

Glen Rice Jr on the other hand looked as good as most first rounders, going to show the Wizard’s trade of the 38^th and 54^th pick to get him seems to have been a good move. Rice Jr has always been talented, but he had a multitude of attitude related issues at Georgia Tech which resulted in him quitting the team and entering the D League. Prospects with this shaded background usually drop in the draft as no team wants to invest money and a high draft pick in someone with a a shaded history such as his. Washington took the chance on Rice Jr after seeing him in the D-League, he averaged 18 points, 8 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 31 minutes per game in 25 games as a starter since February, shooting 56% from 2-point range, 43% for 3, and 76% from the free throw line. Rice Jr also impressed during summer league showing off his athleticism and smooth shooting stroke.

Grade: B-

Summary:

There hasn’t been any major roster adjustments this off season, but the Wizards still figure to be one of the most improved teams in the NBA and a playoff spot is not out of the question if Okafor, Nene, Beal and Wall all manage to stay healthy. I think the Wizards ownership is taking a deliberate and patient approach to the team, which in my opinion is a smart thing to do. They want to see how the current group perform before they start to alter the makeup of the team and make trades. With the new CBA in place the Wizards seem ready to take advantage with a lot of projected CAP room opening up in the 2014 off season which is stacked with a number of top players becoming free agents. Overall, I think Washington may not have had the most active off season, but have cleverly positioned themselves to be one of the most improved teams in the NBA for the 2013/14 season

Overall Grade: B

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