Washington Wizards Free Agency 2016: Wizards Could Benefit From Signing Mario Chalmers

Washington Wizards starting point guard, John Wall, might miss the beginning of the season. Mario Chalmers could prove to be a valuable signing.

When John Wall missed the beginning of the 2012-13 NBA season, the Washington Wizards immediately sunk to the bottom of the Eastern Conference.

The Wizards hoped that Bradley Beal, a rookie at the time, and A.J. Price would do enough to keep the team afloat. They won 29 games that season.

Washington is entering a similar situation this year.

Wall, who had surgeries on both of his knees this off-season, could end up missing training camp and preseason. Although the team doesn’t have a direct timetable for Wall’s return, he isn’t expected to miss much, if any, time during the regular season.

There’s still a possibility that he might not be ready, though.

If Wall does end up having to rest at the beginning of the season, Scott Brooks will be forced to rely on Trey Burke and Tomas Satoransky.

Burke was the starting point guard for Utah Jazz during his rookie and sophomore seasons, but slowly fell out of the team’s rotation.

This past season, Burke was rarely seen on the court. His inability to defend and score efficiently caused him to lose playing time to Shelvin Mack, who the Wizards ironically cut a few years ago.

Satoransky, a 6-foot-7 point guard, has the tools to become a valuable contributor, but relying on a rookie could prove to be disastrous.

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That leaves the Wizards with just one other option: sign a proven free agent.

It’s almost September, so the free agents that are still available will come with some baggage.

Lance Stephenson, who was a borderline All-Star just a couple of seasons ago, has been labeled a headcase and teams are afraid to touch him, despite the level of talent he possesses.

Ty Lawson was the Denver Nuggets’ franchise point guard less than two years ago, but his off court issues with alcohol and other troubles stemming from that have scared teams away.

Lawson has played for the Nuggets, Houston Rockets and Indiana Pacers in about a year.

Mario Chalmers is someone who doesn’t have issues in the locker room or away front the court, but he is coming off a serious achilles injury.

As an NBA champion and steady contributor for the dominant LeBron James led Miami Heat teams, Chalmers had cemented a spot in the league prior to getting hurt with the Memphis Grizzlies this past season.

Averaging over 17 points per-36 minutes last season, Chalmers was having the best individual stretch of his career before getting sidelined.

Teams that could have used a backup point guard, like the Washington Wizards, would have certainly been all over Chalmers if he didn’t get hurt. Instead, the severity of his injury has created caution among teams and Chalmers has remained a free agent.

There have been some questions about when Chalmers will be ready, but on Thursday he actually announced on Twitter that he’s ready to go.

Finally cleared to get back on the court. This been a long ass 5 months man. But we don't kill u make u stronger. #backlikeineverleft
— Mario Chalmers (@mchalmers15) August 25, 2016

Washington currently has the room exception left, which is worth just under $3 million, and Chalmers likely wouldn’t command more than that at this point.

Running with just Burke and Satoransky without knowing the status of Wall is frightening, to say the least.

While we don’t expect him to miss a ton of time, knee injuries are tricky, especially since Wall has dealt with them in the past. Plus, even if Wall is cleared to play, the Wizards won’t want him back on the court until he’s in shape. Risking re-injury at the beginning of the season isn’t worth it.

Chalmers is a proven veteran. Washington, having played Chalmers multiple times throughout the season as a Southeast foe, knows what to expect from the point guard. He’s a solid all around guard and would provide more stability than what the Wizards currently have as backups.

Signing Chalmers could be valuable to the Washington Wizards even when Wall returns from injury. Since he’s played with James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami, Chalmers is used to playing off the ball. He’s big enough to share the court with Wall and Beal as a catch-and-shoot option, just like Ramon Sessions did at times during his stint in D.C.

Washington took a similar risk on Alan Anderson and the swingman only played in 13 games. He was coming off an ankle procedure and never really recovered. Those risks, however, could pay off.

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The Wizards took a chance on Martell Webster several years ago after watching him in a private workout and he ended up having the best season of his career in Washington. Chalmers turned 30 in May and doesn’t have a ton of mileage on him. If he’s fully healed, Chalmers could become a steal for a team that’s willing to give him a shot.