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Washington Wizards Mailbag Monday: Determining Otto Porter’s Trade Value

By Ben Mehic

Dec 19, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Washington Wizards forward Otto Porter (3) reacts as Bradley Beal made a three pointer to take the lead but shot is ruled a two pointer late in the 4th quarter against the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Indiana defeats Washington 107-105. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 19, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Washington Wizards forward Otto Porter (3) reacts as Bradley Beal made a three pointer to take the lead but shot is ruled a two pointer late in the 4th quarter against the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Indiana defeats Washington 107-105. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /
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Washington Wizards are usually somewhat active around the NBA Trade Deadline, but what could they possibly get in return for Otto Porter?

It’s a new year, but the Washington Wizards‘ troubles have remained the same.

Washington has struggled to win games on the road, the bench has been underwhelming and the starters have been carrying a much heavier load than anticipated at the beginning of the season.

Somehow, through it all, the Wizards have remained in the playoff picture.

With a number of winnable games coming up on their schedule, the fate of the Wizards’ season could be determined relatively soon.

As always, we’ll begin the week by answering some of your questions.

This year’s group has gained chemistry rather quickly, but the difference has been the bench’s production.

It’s expected to see a dip in shooting on the road. Familiarity plays a big part in that.

Really, it’s easier to play inside an arena where you’ve practiced before. The Washington Wizards routinely go through shootarounds and warmups inside the Verizon Center.

John Wall is shooting less than 19 percent from three away from home, but he’s hitting 40 percent of his looks from deep inside the Phone Booth on the same number of attempts.

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The same dip can be seen in Bradley Beal‘s shooting. He’s hitting 45 percent of his threes at home, but just 32 percent on the road.

Those sort of declines on the road are expected, but some teams have the depth to make up for it.

If Wall, for instance, isn’t scoring well in Memphis, the Wizards don’t have a scoring point guard to bring into the game off the bench.

When Beal can’t seem to buy a bucket in Charlotte, Scott Brooks doesn’t have a capable shooting guard to call for relief.

It’s easier to play at home than it is on the road. That’s true for every level, not just in the NBA.

Depth is the key difference maker. Contending teams have enough talent to level it out. If one of their starters can’t find his rhythm on the road, they can rely on a legitimate sixth man.

The Washington Wizards don’t have that luxury. All they can do it hope the starters produce on the road as well as they do at home, which is almost unfair.

Otto Porter is arguably the team’s second best player. He’s become one of the most efficient low-usage players in the entire league and he’s certainly been the most improved player on the Washington Wizards’ roster.

His stellar shooting – he’s shooting 54 percent from the field and 43 percent from three – is indicative of the work he put in this past summer.

Washington has no plans on parting ways with Porter anytime soon.

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While he’ll become a restricted free agent in the off-season and will get interest from other teams, including the Brooklyn Nets, the Wizards will have the ability to match any deal he gets.

Porter – if he continues to shoot at an All-Star level – will get close to a max contract.

For now, it looks like the Washington Wizards plan on keeping him, even if that means they have to lock him up to a long-term, $100+ million deal.

He’s the third most valuable trade asset on the Wizards’ roster, but the team won’t include him in any deals unless they can get a true star in return.

For instance, if the Los Angeles Clippers decided they cannot win with Blake Griffin anymore, the Wizards might consider trading Porter.

But, realistically, the Wizards won’t get that sort of offer. Instead, teams would consider trading a player with the same salary with expectations of getting a similar deal in the summer.

Nerlens Noel will probably get close to the max in the summer and the Sixers would likely consider trading him for Porter.

Washington won’t trade Porter unless they can get someone of equal or more value in return. They could justify trading Porter to Los Angeles for Griffin, for example, but won’t be able to justify a deal for Noel, who simply isn’t as good nor productive at this point in his career.

Expect Porter to rock a Wizards uniform for the foreseeable future. He’s a valuable asset, but he’s one the Wizards want to keep.

Brooks has tried staggering the minutes, and while it hasn’t been perfect, it’s been more effective than running with five bench players at the same time.

Porter hasn’t been a part of that staggering, at least for a consistent period. Markieff Morris, instead, is leading the second unit as a go-to option and has been replaced by Kelly Oubre in spurts.

It’s tough to stagger minutes when the bench has been incompetent, to say the least.

Other teams can stagger minutes consistently because the bench isn’t completely dependent on the player that’s being staggered. Morris touches the ball every time he’s playing alongside the second unit. That’s kind of a problem, since the offense becomes stagnant.

But Porter is probably a better option than Morris. He’s shown an improved ability to score off the dribble and is the most efficient player on the roster. Porter is shooting just over 10 shots per game, but he’s making over half of them.

Next: What Should/Shouldn't the Wizards Trade For Paul Millsap?

If he gets more playing time with the bench, he might be able to get more shots up. That can’t be worse than Trey Burke or Marcus Thornton shooting, I think.

It’s not a panacea, but playing Porter more with the bench wouldn’t hurt Brooks.

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