Washington Wizards Mailbag Monday: Replacing Bradley Beal In Free Agency

Washington Wizards Mailbag Monday: April 4, 2016

The Washington Wizards‘ playoff chances became even smaller on Sunday night after they failed to complete a comeback against the Los Angeles Clippers.

There really isn’t much to say that hasn’t already been said. The team is bad.

As always, we’ll begin the week by answering some of your questions. This could be the last Mailbag Monday of the regular season, so I want to thank those who participated.

Happy Monday.

If I had to guess, I’d say there’s a 90 percent chance Randy Wittman won’t be back as coach of the Washington Wizards and about a 45 percent chance Ernie Grunfeld doesn’t return.

Wittman is in the final fully-guaranteed year of his contract and the team has gotten worse. That’s when you have to pull the plug. The team has lost its defensive identity and they probably tuned him out months ago.

As for Grunfeld, well, he’s more complicated.

I’ve heard that he re-signs every year – meaning, once the season is over, Ted Leonsis will have to make a decision.

Washington should fire Grunfeld and they should have gotten rid of him a very long time ago.

While Wittman does deserve some of the blame for the team’s failures, the roster construction was incredibly poor. He surrounded John Wall with washed up, injury prone veterans. On top of that, the Washington Wizards will likely miss the playoffs and a chance to select in the first round in this year’s NBA Draft.

We’ve written about potential Wittman replacements before.

Washington could go many ways. They could hire a recycled coach – someone like Scott Brooks or Mike D’Antoni – or they could take a chance on a younger coach. Ime Udoka and Becky Hammon come to mind.

Replacing a general manager or team president is even more complicated, especially since those folks do their work behind the scenes. Nabbing someone from the San Antonio Spurs is always an option, I think. Washington could also promote Tommy Sheppard, who’s the team’s assistant.

John, you know how much love I have for Otto Porter.

His game is pure. Sure – he can’t defend and needs to put on weight, but his offensive game has developed tremendously. It’s important to note that Porter hasn’t gotten significant playing time until this season. He’s only had one year of actual run and he’s made the most of it.

Now that he’s hitting his outside shot, Porter has become Washington’s second most reliable offensive option. Over the past five games, Porter has made over 55 percent of his total shots and nearly 48 percent of his deep balls.

Porter is never going to get the hype that someone like Bradley Beal gets because his game isn’t very flashy. Beal is explosive and capable of producing some highlights, but Porter just goes out there and does what he needs to do. Objectively, Porter has been just as good (if not better) than Beal this season.

So – to answer your question – he has earned a raise. But, let’s cross that bridge when we get there. Washington still has a year to go before we get into Porter’s future with the team.

Here’s a list of free agent guards, Danny B.

I really like Evan Fournier‘s game. Beal is going to make $23 million annually, but Fournier has been just as productive this season. He’s capable of somewhat creating for himself and has made over 40 percent of his 3-point attempts this season. Plus, he will probably make just over half of what Beal will make.

Washington could also go after – wait for it  – Eric Gordon. O.J. Mayo, Dion Waiters and Kent Bazemore are also going to be available.

Let’s hope it doesn’t come down to that.

If Washington can’t get a trade for a star in exchange for Beal, they are probably better off taking the risk and re-signing him. Seeing Waiters in a Washington Wizards uniform would not be pleasant. The replacements just aren’t available.

How would Hassan Whiteside work within our system? (pos and neg) – via Lenai

We actually had Whiteside as our best target if the Washington Wizards can’t get Kevin Durant.

Whiteside is probably the best rim protector in the NBA. He’s insane, really. Marcin Gortat thinks he’s one of the best shot blockers he’s ever seen. Given how bad the Washington Wizards have been defensively, Whiteside would instantly make them tough to score on inside.

Whiteside is kind of limited offensively, though. He’s not as effective in the pick-and-roll as Gortat and can’t score inside unless he gets deep positioning. With that said, he’s a lob threat. John Wall hasn’t had a big man that he could throw lobs to since JaVale McGee was a Wizard. That would add another dimension to his game.

I think he would work well in an uptempo system. As long as he’s not relied on for offensive scoring, he would do fine.

Unfortunately, I don’t think Jarell Eddie has much of a future with the Washington Wizards.

He could be an elite marksman in the NBA and I think he’s somewhat proved that. The dude can shoot. But, he can’t defend and he’s on a team that doesn’t value youth. He never really got much of a chance after that performance against the Brooklyn Nets.

I would be surprised if Eddie is back next season. He should at least get a training camp invite.

Probably the latter.

Other teams are going to be interested in DeMarcus Cousins and they will likely have more assets than the Washington Wizards. It might be up to Cousins, though. If he demands a trade to Washington, the Kings might have to make a deal.

Otherwise, Washington will have a better chance at signing Whiteside. They will have the chance to sign a max player and Whiteside is a free agent.

Gilbert Arenas had knee issues prior to signing the billion dollar contract, so I don’t think so. But, I’m not a doctor. I don’t know how severe the stress reactions in Beal’s legs are. I’m assuming that Gilbert’s knee issues are more severe.

Next: Wizards Need To Fire Ernie Grunfeld

Gilbert’s deal wasn’t going to end well and we all pretty much knew that. Beal’s deal could potentially be a disaster, but it could also work out. That’s probably the main difference.

Thanks for participating and reading, folks. Enjoy your Monday. It’s a clean slate.