Washington Wizards: Five Lessons From 2015 NBA Free Agency

1) Take a chance on younger players

With the loss of Paul Pierce in 2015, Washington looked to fill the roster with the addition of capable veterans to the bench on one year contracts to ensure that money was still available for Summer Sixteen.  

Because of this, and the fact that Durant won’t be coming, Washington finds itself in need of bodies as they have five players currently under contract, plus a likely re-signed Bradley Beal.  

It also seems the team is planning to bring back sharpshooter Jarrell Eddie, as he’ll be joining Kelly Oubre on the Summer League team.

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Whether or not Satoransky joins the team is still to be determined.

Building young talent now will help with future free agency sessions.  

The roster is a large part of the recruitment process, and it will certainly be hard to convince players to join a team that doesn’t have a lot of support around the stars.  

This would also be helpful in the future with potential trade scenarios.  

When trading for a star, let’s just say DeMarcus Cousins for example, the Sacramento Kings would want draft picks and young assets back in return to help expedite any rebuilding process.

Last season, Beal (injured and a restricted FA), Otto Porter (first year starting), and Kelly Oubre (project rookie), were the only real young assets on the team outside of the untouchable Wall.  

Last summer, the youngest free agent Washington signed was Gary Neal, who was 30 joining his fifth team in six years.

Five of the youngest 10 teams in the league made the playoffs this past season, and those young players were the main factors contributing to the strong performances.  

Players like Kent Bazemore, Jordan Clarkson, and Chandler Parsons could fit in the district as young pieces that would be able to grow with the Washington Wizards‘ core.

Next: 2) Focus on the Present