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Washington Wizards NBA Free Agency 2016 Grades

By Matt Levin

Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Washington Wizards made some solid moves during NBA Free Agency, but they also made some head-scratchers

The Washington Wizards are going to look completely different this upcoming NBA season following a series of signings and an unexpected trade this summer.

Some of the moves made by Ernie Grunfeld deserve a round of applause. The other moves have kind of left us scratching our heads.

Many expected the Wizards to come out with a bang and sign a star player this summer.

Grunfeld made sure to leave the Wizards with plenty of cap space this summer to compete for a star, but the team missed out on Kevin Durant and Al Horford.

With the Wizards unable to get a star player and lots of money to spend, Grunfeld had a very busy week.

Move #1: Wizards re-sign Bradley Beal

The Wizards re-signed Bradley Beal to a five-year, $128 million max contract on the first day of free agency.

The deal was very much expected, especially since Beal was a restricted free agent. Beal is a major part of the Wizards’ core and is a young rising star in the NBA.

Beal shot 38 percent from three last season and averaged 17.4 points per game. The biggest reason why re-signing Beal was a must is because of his age and upside.

Beal is only 23-years-old and already plays at a high level. Beal has tons of potential to become a star in the league.

The reason why the Washington Wizards might be a little hesitant to re-sign Beal to a max contract is because of his history with injuries.

In each of his first four seasons, Beal has come done with injuries, requiring him to miss playing time.

Reports started to come out last season that Beal could be on a minutes restriction for the rest of his career. Even though Beal is injury prone, with all of his potential and what he could become for this team, the benefits outweigh the risks.

Grade: A

Move #2: Wizards sign Ian Mahinmi

With Minimal depth at the center position last season, grabbing a big man in free agency was one of the Washington Wizards’ top prorities.

After missing out on Horford, the Wizards quickly turned their attention to Ian Mahinmi. They signed Mahinmi to a four-year, $64 million contract.

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Mahinmi will give the Wizards a reliable center to come of the bench, which is something they did not have last season.

Mahinmi is a good defender who can help protect the rim, averaging just over a block a game last season with the Pacers. He also averaged 9.3 points and 7.1 rebounds per game.

The problem with this deal is the Wizards flat out overpaid.

$16 million a year is way too much money given to a player coming off the bench, even with the massively increasing salary cap.

This deal forced the Wizards to miss out on players that could have been good fits for them because they were now too expensive.

Grade: C

Move #3: Wizards sign Andrew Nicholson

The Washington Wizards signed Andrew Nicholson to a four-year, $26 million contract.

Nicholson, a former first round pick in 2012, struggled in his first couple seasons with the Magic.

Last season, though, he improved by averaging 6.9 points per game. Nicholson is a stretch four who also can play the low-post.

Nicholson shot 36 percent from three, while also shooting 53 percent from inside the arc.

Nicholson adds more depth to the Wizards’ front court and could become a key player off the bench.

However, Nicholson still needs to prove himself before he can become a reliable and consistent player for the Wizards.

Grade: B

Move#4: Wizards trade for Trey Burke

With Ramon Sessions likely leaving for another team, the Washington Wizards needed a new backup point guard.

To do this, they traded their 2021 second round draft pick to the Jazz for Trey Burke.

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Burke, the ninth pick in the 2013 draft, did not play as well as a lottery pick should, but was still productive.

In his first two seasons, Burke averaged nearly 13 points per game and started in multiple games.

But last season, the Jazz lost trust in him.

Burke did not start a single game last season and lost a lot of minutes. But he still averaged 10.6 points per game.

Burke could be a very reliable backup on the Wizards with his scoring capabilities. Last season, the Wizards’ second unit struggled offensively.

Giving Burke a fresh start on the Wizards while giving up very little was definitely a smart move.

Grade: A-

Move #5: Wizards sign Tomas Satoransky

The Washington Wizards’ 2012 second round pick will finally come over from Europe and join the team.

Satoransky plays both guard positions, but his 6-foot-7 height allows him to play forward too.

Satoransky was a very good player and Europe and also has a great 3-point shot, shooting about 40 percent from deep.

The Czech star will be a key contributor off the bench and could come in for Beal in the starting lineup if he ever gets injured. The best thing about this deal is the contract.

The Wizards signed Satoransky for three years, $9 million(!).

With the salary cap massively increasing, and the Wizards getting Satoransky for $3 million a year, the Wizards got one of the best deals of the season.

Grade: A+++

Move #6: Wizards sign Jason Smith

The Washington Wizards signed Jason Smith to a three-year, $16 million deal.

Smith averaged 7.2 points and 2.9 rebounds per game last season with the Magic.

After adding front court depth in Mahinmi and Nicholson, it seemed as though the Wizards should have signed a wing player with little guard/forward depth on the roster.

Instead, they added more front court help.

Smith is able to stretch the floor as he has the ability to shoot from longer distances than most centers. He’s not an incredibly effective rebounder, which makes his fit with the Wizards kind of odd, given the team’s depth at the position. It was an odd signing.

Grade: D-

Move #7: Wizards re-sign Marcus Thornton

The Washington Wizards added Marcus Thornton to the roster after waiving Gary Neal midway through last season. Now, they re-signed him to a one-year deal at the veteran’s minimum.

Thornton showed that he was a great shooter and definitely an offensive player.

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Thornton appeared in 14 games for the Wizards and averaged 8.4 points per game.

Washington still lacks leadership and I’m not certain they will necessarily fill that void by signing Thornton.

Caron Butler, who was recently waived by the Sacramento Kings, was also available and could have been a solid fit.

The Wizards don’t have much veteran help in the locker room and Thornton likely won’t help in that capacity. Instead of using one of the final roster spots on Thornton, it might have been smarter to get a veteran that will hold the team accountable.

Grade: C-

Overall

The Washington Wizards were very close to getting a star player this summer in Al Horford, but could not land him. Though it is frustrating and it hurts, there was really nothing the Wizards could do.

Re-signing Beal was smart and the Satoransky deal was amazing. That said, after missing out on Horford, it seemed like the Wizards went into panic mode with the Mahinmi signing.

Next: Wizards Should Consider Trading Gortat

The Smith signing did not make any sense and they missed out on an opportunity to sign a leader with the Thornton signing. Even with the head scratching signings, the Wizards are a better team than they were last season.

Overall Grade: B-

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