Washington Wizards: Five Lessons From 2015 NBA Free Agency
By Ryan Eugene
2) Focusing on the present will lead to a better future
John Wall will be 26 in the fall and has three seasons left under contract.
With the cap increasing this summer and next, he is one of the most affordable All-Stars in the league.
Meanwhile, in six NBA seasons, he still has yet to play with an All-Star level teammate. In addition, outside of teams with transcending talents like Cleveland, most recent teams to make the NBA’s Final Four are mainly composed of homegrown talent.
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Team chemistry is a real factor in basketball with all players contributing on offense and defense, and every player needing the ball at one point.
This is why Washington needs to focus on bringing in more players who can be with the team for at least three years.
The biggest abnormality in last year’s strategy was signing everyone to one year rentals to save money for Durant.
It’s hard to blame the team too much, considering the ramifications if they blew the cap money and Durant later expressed interest in joining the team.
But moving forward, the hope is to have commitments from the team to the players and vice-versa. Players usually shine in contract years, but having so many on one roster can certainly cause internal struggles among the upcoming free agents.
With the salary cap also increasing next summer, we probably will see another batch of free agents sign two-year deals with a player option after year-one, but these will most likely be players who will always be guaranteed max players (Durant and LeBron James).
The guys Washington will be targeting should be willing to sign at least a three-year deal. And besides, we know the NBA is a profession, and as Ernie Grunfeld has shown, if his choices don’t work out he can surely look to make a trade along the way to replace any mistakes.
Next: 3) Right Pieces for the Puzzle