Washington Wizards Free Agency Preview 2016: 5 Potential Targets
By Matt Levin
With Kevin Durant off the board, the Washington Wizards could look towards these five free agents to fill their roster
This year’s free agency has become very much unpredictable for the Washington Wizards.
A major goal for the last couple of seasons was to clear as much cap space as possible for this summer in order to sign Kevin Durant.
However, with free agency just around the corner, the Wizards won’t even get a meeting with him.
Rumors went around that the Wizards were prepared to offer Joakim Noah a max contract. Thankfully, it was false.
Free agency has not even started yet and it feels like the Wizards are off to a bad start.
With the Wizards out of play for KD, having only five players under contract (not including Bradley Beal who will likely re-sign), and a ton of cap room, nobody really knows what Ernie Grunfeld and the Wizards will do in free agency.
I took a look at five free agents that the Wizards should explore.
Arron Afflalo
Arron Afflalo’s production has certainly dropped since he averaged a little over 18 points per game a couple seasons ago.
That being said, the 30-year-old would help bolster the Wizards’ bench.
Afflalo shot 38 percent from three and averaged 12.8 points per game last season in New York.
Afflalo would be a great fit for Washington’s fast paced offense and would add more 3-point shooting from the bench.
His offensive capabilities certainly make up for his declining defense and he will be able to play a spot-starter role if/when Beal inevitably gets hurt.
Afflalo, however, might not want to come off the bench.
He opted out of the final year of his contract with the New York Knicks about a week ago.
Afflalo opted out partly because of money and the spike in the salary cap, but also partly because Knicks head coach last season, Kurt Rambis, demoted Afflalo from the starting lineup to the bench.
Afflalo was not happy with his role in New York and definitely wants to find a team that will utilize him.
If Afflalo can deal with being a sixth man for the Washington Wizards, he will have an opportunity to revitalize his career playing along with John Wall, who is known for getting the most out of declining players and getting them paid.
Seth Curry
Seth Curry, also known as the other Curry, will add depth to the point guard position with the Washingotn Wizards.
Curry is a major scorer and will definitely improve the Wizards’ second unit offense.
With the Kings last season, Curry shot 45 percent from three.
As a microwave-type player off the bench, Curry would play a huge role in helping Washington generate offense when it becomes stagnant.
Anyone who watched the Washington Wizards last season knew that they would sometimes go five or six minutes without scoring.
Anyone remember the game against the Hornets when the Wizards had a nine point lead in the fourth quarter and ended up losing by double digits?
Curry would be able to stop these scoreless slumps.
Also, the more depth at the guard position, the better it is for John Wall.
Nagging injuries piled on for Wall late in the season and he was forced to carry the offensive load. Curry would help in that regard to.
Dwight Powell
Dwight Powell is a young and unproven big man, but will be able to fill the void Nene will be leaving on the bench.
Powell is a big body who thrives in the paint and will add more much needed depth to the Washington Wizards’ front court.
Last season, the Wizards relied on the often injured Nene way too much.
Besides Nene, the Wizards really did not have any reliable big men on the bench.
Powell will give the Wizards a reliable big man every game.
The problem is, Powell is a restricted free agent.
This means the Mavericks will be able to match any contract given to Powell.
Since he’s considered a potential steal in this year’s free agency class, the Washington Wizards might have to overpay to get Powell’s services in D.C.
Adding a young, athletic big man to the roster should be one of Washington’s primary goals this summer. Powell would fill the need.
Nicolas Batum
Nicolas Batum is a reliable small forward who can shoot the three and is excellent defensively.
While Otto Porter has shown improvement, Batum is basically the player Porter hopes to become.
It’s uncertain whether or not the Washington Wizards can win games with Porter as the team’s starter.
His inconsistencies are quite glaring.
On some nights, Porter looked like a stud and others he was completely invisible.
The Washington Wizards need a player like Batum to consistently play well.
Batum averaged 14.9 points per game and shot 35 percent from three last season with the Hornets.
Every team that misses out on Durant will likely express interest in Batum.
Not only would the Wizards have to give a max contract to Batum, but they would have to convince him that Washington is a better spot than Golden State or San Antonio.
Ryan Anderson
Of all the players mentioned in this article, Ryan Anderson is the most likely to come to D.C.
The Washington Wizards tried to trade for Anderson during the trade deadline, but the Pelicans were asking for too much.
With the Wizards all but out of the Kevin Durant sweepstakes, reports have surfaced that Anderson will be the Wizards’ number one target.
Anderson even mentioned the Wizards as a possible destination in a podcast with The Vertical about a month ago.
Anderson is the stretch four the Wizards have always wanted.
His scoring ability isn’t dependent on him starting, as he’s shown in the past. In one game last season against the Kings, Anderson scored 30 points in a half.
Anderson averaged 17 points per game last season while coming off the bench for the most part with the Pelicans.
Anderson will be able to run on the sides with Wall and add another reliable 3-point shooter, knocking down 37 percent of his attempts from deep.
Defense has always been a problem for Anderson, though. To put it lightly, he’s a bad defender.
Next: Wizards 2016 Offseason Power Rankings
A big reason Anderson was not relied on late in games for the Pelicans was because he could not defend. Anderson will definitely give the Washington Wizards a big boost on offense, but the team will have to look at other players to correct their defensive problems.