Washington Wizards Free Agency Rumors 2016: Jared Dudley, Alan Anderson, Garrett Temple to Return?

The Washington Wizards are reportedly interested in re-signing three of their own unrestricted free agents

The Washington Wizards are entering this summer with only five players under contract. Team president Ernie Grunfeld didn’t have much to work with last year in terms of salary cap space, and he’ll have the opportunity to construct a roster based on Scott Brooks‘ preferred style of play, which hasn’t been determined yet.

Since the starting five will likely remain the same, we can assume that Washington will continue to play a style that’s focused on increased pace and space.

Given the addition of Markieff Morris, the Wizards are set up to have much more success with an up-tempo system next season than they did this past year when the roster was terribly flawed.

With 10 open roster spots, Grunfeld will have the chance to sign players that fit the modern brand of basketball. He will also have to make decisions on his own free agents that are going to be unrestricted.

Despite the .500 finish, the Wizards still had a few players on their roster that are worth considering bringing back.

Jared Dudley, in particular, had one of the best seasons of his career.

Dudley was among the league leaders in 3-point percentage throughout the entire season and played 81 games, even though he was coming off a somewhat serious back surgery.

Garrett Temple was also a player that had his moments during the disappointing season.

Temple missed just two games the whole season and averaged a career-high 7.3 points per game. More importantly, Temple was one of the most dependable players on the roster. When Bradley Beal, Gary Neal or Otto Porter were out, Temple stepped up and filled their roles.

According to CSN Mid-Atlantic’s J.Michael, the Washington Wizards are interested in re-signing Dudley, Temple and Alan Anderson:

"The early indications are Jared Dudley, Alan Anderson and Garrett Temple are strong candidates to return."

It’s important to note that we’re still well over a month away before the free agency period begins.

Teams cannot negotiate with players until July 1st, so while the Wizards might be interested in re-signing the three veterans, the situations are very fluid and change all the time.

There are a couple of problems with J.Michael’s report, though.

If the Washington Wizards want to sign a max-level player this summer, along with Beal, they must renounce Dudley.

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The soon-to-be 31-year-old is looking to get a three year deal this summer and will likely get a significant raise this off-season.

Dudley made roughly $4.25 million this past season.

The Wizards put themselves in this hole before.

Re-signing solid locker room players who contribute on the floor is a good idea, as long as it doesn’t prevent the team from getting better.

Washington re-signed Martell Webster a few years ago and eventually had to waive him.

Now, obviously Dudley isn’t Webster and would probably bring more of the same production, but the Washington Wizards need to start looking elsewhere. Giving Dudley a lengthy contract would restrict their ability to pursue a max player, so I don’t think he’ll return.

Instead, expect Dudley to sign wherever he gets the most money, to put it bluntly.

He’s played many roles in the past and wouldn’t mind taking on a leadership role on a losing team, as long as he’s making more money than he did this past year.

Temple is kind of in the same boat, but won’t make as much money as Dudley.

The journeyman guard is one of the most professional players in the NBA. He’s never complained, always showed up when his number is called and works ridiculously hard. He’s gotten every coach’s respect and it wouldn’t surprise me if Brooks wants Temple on the roster next season.

But, Temple is also going to get a raise and doesn’t do anything consistently enough. If Temple was a knock-down shooter, then Washington should absolutely re-sign him. He’s not, though.

Alan Anderson, well, I’ve written about him a trillion times. The Wizards certainly shouldn’t re-sign the 33-year-old. He essentially missed the entire season, and when he did play, was super inefficient and ineffective.

Anderson traveled with the team even when he didn’t need to and formed a bond with many of the young players. Washington needs players that actually play. He’s old and broken down. The NBA is a business and the Wizards can’t afford to bring him back just because he’s friends with players on the team.

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It will be interesting to see if the Wizards end up re-signing any of their free agents, but right now, it would be foolish if they prioritize their own players. They had a miserable season and need to add talent – not re-sign the players that didn’t help them win games.