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Washington Wizards Mailbag Monday: Martell Webster’s Future, Free Agency Speculation and More

By Ben Mehic

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We’re back with another edition of Washington Wizards Mailbag Monday. As always, if you’d like your question featured, feel free to hit us up @WizofAwes.

Today’s questions come from Twitter and Reddit.

Thanks to everyone who responded.

If we don’t grab KD (which IMO is a 40% chance we will) And we try to go for someone else, like Boogie for example, what would we change.

I was looking at your last article about KD, and you suggested maybe Boogie. This would be a great signing considering the chemistry that John Wall and Boogie could have, especially since they were both on a strong UK team together.

The problem is that we would potentially have Gortat, a $12 million a year player coming off the bench, which would be quite the waste of money, unless he magically becomes a great 6th man, which would still be costly, even after the salary cap increase.

So if possible, could you try and come up with what the Wizards 2016 offseason would like like in the chance KD doesn’t come to DC. – via TFDBLoL

As I’m sure you’re aware, the Washington Wizards are ALL IN on Kevin Durant. Like, every signing they’ve made since 2013 point to them making room for the hometown hero.

But, as you suggested, it’s not 100% certain that Durant will return home to the nation’s capital.

If Durant chooses to stay in Oklahoma City or picks a different team (which I don’t think he’ll do — it’s either the Thunder or Wizards), then Ernie Grunfeld (or whoever is running the team at that point) will look at all of the available options.

Will DeMarcus Cousins become available? I think he could be and it will largely depend on what happens this upcoming season.

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If the Kings don’t make the playoffs again, and they probably won’t, then Boogie rumors will reemerge.

With that said, the Wizards will also have free agency as an option.

Players like Al Horford and Ryan Anderson will be available as well in free agency.

If Washington misses on Durant, then they could add multiple solid players to their roster.

Basically, the Wizards are going to have plenty of options. It’s virtually impossible to guess what their off-season will look like because we don’t know who will become available.

Players can become disgruntled with their current situations and Washington will have the cap to take them on. Could that become Boogie? We’ll just have to wait and see.

Drew Gooden or Kris Humphries? — Randy’s history suggests both won’t be significant parts of the rotation at the same time. Hump’s a better individual player but Gooden’s stretchiness might be more beneficial to his teammates. Who should get off the bench first?

Assuming Otto starts, this’ll be the first time in years that the Wizards head into a season with a set of starters that were all on the team last year. How helpful will this continuity be? – via SonOfSkipBaeless

I know it’s cliche, but Randy Wittman will let the training camp determine the rotation.

Even though Gooden played over Humphries during the NBA Playoffs, that probably wouldn’t have been the case if Humphries stayed healthy at the end of the season.

Still, with Jared Dudley out, we will probably see Gooden get plenty of playing time. He got a raise this off-season and the Wizards really like how he changed his game since arriving to D.C. He’s become a legitimate threat from the outside, which is something the Wizards needed.

As for Humphries, it wouldn’t surprise me if he plays along side Gooden in spurts. He’s a bit undersized, but he’s capable of playing the backup five in small doses. He’s one of the most reliable players on the team, so Witt has to find a way to play both players.

If I had to guess, though, I think we’ll see Gooden get off the bench first.

And for your second question, I think the continuity will be extremely helpful.

Wall, Bradley Beal and Marcin Gortat are all familiar with Otto Porter. They know his tendencies and won’t need a period of time to get used to playing along side him.

It should be a very smooth transition for everyone involved, really.

Wall’s comments about Reggie Jackson‘s new deal were taken out of context. At the end, Wall said that he was very happy for Jackson. It wasn’t a “THIS guy gets paid as much as me!?” comment.

I have faith in both Wall and Beal. There won’t be any issues between the two. Neither player is irrational. They know their place on the team. After all, there are a bunch of players in the NBA that make a lot less. Look at Stephen Curry and Mike Conley as an example.

Neither Wall nor Beal are the type of dudes to start trouble in the locker room, especially over salaries. They’ll be fine.

The Washington Wizards knew that Dudley had an issue with his back before they traded for him. However, details about his surgery weren’t announced until after the trade. So, they weren’t necessarily tricked into it. I mean, they got him for nothing.

Both Dudley and the Wizards agreed that surgery was the best option at this point. He probably could’ve played through it, but it’s better to get it done now rather than in the middle of the season. In a recent podcast on ESPN, Dudley seemed optimistic that he’ll return very soon into the season.

I don’t think the Wizards knew he needed surgery, but they didn’t get tricked by Milwaukee.

Before he had his third back surgery, Martell Webster was a legitimate sixth man. Unfortunately, after that third back surgery, he looked like a player that’s ready to hang up his sneakers.

I know that Webster has been working very hard to get back. Three back surgeries is a real concern, though.

The final season on his contract (2016-2017) isn’t fully guaranteed. While I don’t think Grunfeld will cut him (he’s a great locker room guy), it wouldn’t surprise me if they look to find a trade.

I really hope Webster has a bounce back season next year. Could he have something left in the tank? Maybe. But after three back surgeries, it’s going to be tough to play a high level of ball on a consistent basis.

This one is tough, because we really don’t know how good the team is going to be. But, they did add a lot of perimeter shooting this off-season, so here’s my prediction: Washington will get home court advantage in the playoffs and become an elite three point shooting team.

That might not seem like a very bold prediction, but given how they played this past season, I think their potential on the offensive end of the floor is extremely high. The Eastern Conference is going to be weak again, so they could end up with a top-4 record.

The additions of Dudley, Alan Anderson and Gary Neal aren’t outstanding, but those players are exactly what the Wizards needed.

For the first time in years, Wittman will finally have some versatility to work with.

He could play a lineup with Wall/Neal/Beal/Dudley/Gortat, or he could go very small with Wall/Sessions/Beal/Anderson/Gortat.

Simply put, he has a lot of options. On paper, they’re one of the deepest teams in the league. Wall should get those shooters plenty of open looks.

Look for the Wizards to start putting up a lot of threes. I’m excited.

Next: Could Landry End Up In Washington?

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