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Washington Wizards Free Agency 2016: Potential Room Exception Targets

By Ben Mehic

Apr 17, 2016; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat forward Dorell Wright (11) dribbles the ball against the Charlotte Hornets during the second half in game one of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at American Airlines Arena. The Heat won 123-91. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 17, 2016; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat forward Dorell Wright (11) dribbles the ball against the Charlotte Hornets during the second half in game one of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at American Airlines Arena. The Heat won 123-91. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Washington Wizards don’t have much depth at the wing positions, and they only have the room exception to spend. Here are some potential targets.

If Jarell Eddie will indeed stick with the Washington Wizards, Scott Brooks‘ roster is basically all set for the 2016-17 NBA season. The league allows teams to carry a maximum of 15 guaranteed contracts, and the Wizards are up to 13.

The remaining two spots could stay open, but the Wizards usually leave just one spot for flexibility.

After using virtually all of their cap this summer, Washington has been left with just the room exception, which is worth slightly under $3 million.

For that price, it might seem like the Wizards won’t be able to sign anyone notable, and that’s probably true. However, that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t look for a potential steal.

The market has pretty much dried up and players will sign for less money with hopes of landing a big payday next season. Brandon Bass and Terrence Jones, for instance, both signed for less than the room exception.

Washington has used all of their cap, but they still have some question marks surrounding their roster.

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The Wizards are relatively weak at the wing positions right now.

Otto Porter, who’s entering his fourth season, is the most experienced small forward on the team and the Wizards have put a lot of faith into him as a result.

Kelly Oubre is just 20, and while he might be ready for steady playing time, relying on him without a veteran back up could be dangerous.

The rest of the roster might be filled out by dEddie and Danuel House, both of whom are inexperienced.

Marcus Thornton is available too, but he’s primarily a shooting guard. Plus, relying on Thornton for big minutes off the bench won’t end well either.

Washington, like every other team, is supposedly still very active in the market and could look to address their need soon. Here’s a list of free agents that could be potential targets.

Dorell Wright

Wright is traditionally viewed as a small forward, but at 6-foot-9, he could be slotted at the four as well.

He made 38 percent of his 3-point shots with the Miami Heat this past season and has always been a solid threat from deep.

He would give Brooks some more flexibility with his rotation. If one of the other forwards inevitably gets hurt, Wright wouldn’t be an awful option to have off the bench.

Caron Butler

Similar to Wright, Butler has always been considered a small forward, but as he’s gotten older, he’s had to adapt more to playing the four.

The former Washington Wizards All-Star was recently waived by the Sacramento Kings and would certainly be available for the room exception.

The 36-year-old isn’t the same Butler we knew during his time in Washington, but the Wizards do have a veteran void.

When the Wizards struggled a few years ago, they always had veterans to take control of the situation.

The likes of Trevor Ariza, Drew Gooden and Al Harrington all helped stabilize the locker room.

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Losing stretches are going to happen, even if the Wizards improved this summer.

Having players like Butler on the roster wouldn’t hurt.

And, yeah, seeing Butler rock the Wizards uniform again would be kind of cool.

Gerald Green

Green has the talent to become a stud in the NBA, but for some reason, he’s never realized his potential.

He had a rough season with the Heat last year, making just 32 percent of his threes and less than 40 percent of his total shot attempts, but the Wizards have a tendency to get the most out of veterans. It’s the John Wall effect.

Since Washington decided to re-sign Thornton, having Green on the roster is kind of redundant.

They both take bad shots and they’re rather inefficient. But, he might be a solid project to have off the bench. He would certainly be more entertaining than Alan Anderson.

Alan Anderson

I mean, he’s still there. Out of all the available options, Anderson is probably the most likely to land in Washington.

He’s old, injury prone and the Washington Wizards paid him a lot of money not to contribute last season. Just like they did with Nene, it’s time to move on from Anderson.

It was a bad signing last year and there’s no indication that it would improve a second time around.

So, if the Wizards really feel desperate, Anderson is there.

Chase Budinger

Somehow, Budinger is just 28-years-old. It feels like he’s been around forever.

Budinger is similar to Wright, but his shooting has declined a lot more over the past several years.

After shooting over 40 percent from three with the Houston Rockets in 2012, Budinger made less than 30 percent of his shots from deep during the last few years. In 17 games with the Suns last year, Budinger shot a horrific 24 percent from three.

He’s not very good, but might be worth the small gamble. If he can get his shooting touch back, Bundinger could play a small role off the bench.

Lance Stephenson

He’s still available, and there’s a reason why.

Stephenson has built a reputation of being weird, to put it bluntly. No one really knows what to expect from him.

Some nights he looks like an All-Star that’s worth the max contract, like he did with the Indiana Pacers for a season, and other nights he’s unplayable, like he was with the Charlotte Hornets.

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Teams are reluctant to go anywhere near him and as the rule goes, you can only have one potential knucklehead on the team.

The Washington Wizards already have Markieff Morris.

Stephenson is so talented, though, that it might be worth the risk.

He plays super hard, and if a team could get 80 percent of the Pacers Stephenson, then they’ll get a steal.

I don’t think the Wizards would be willing to take a chance on him, but I have faith in Brooks.

In a new foundation, Stephenson might be able to replicate some of the success he had with the Pacers.

Next: Wizards Show Faith In Porter As The Starter

Brooks is a player’s coach and could be able to get through to him.

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