Washington Wizards Monday Mailbag: Imagining a World Where Wittman Is Still Coach, Melo Returns Home, and Gortat is Traded

Hey Ian. The Wizards need stars, and there are not an abundance of stars available. Enter Carmelo Anthony. If Melo agreed to the trade, I think both teams would agree to the trade.

Washington knows it needs a third star, and while Melo is 33 years old, he’s shown he can still score at an All-Star level. He averaged 22.4 points per game this season, as the main option on a struggling team. Make him the third option on a playoff team, and it’s safe to assume his efficiency will raise.

Then again, Melo has never been one to defer to others. How would he react to being the third option on a team that didn’t have LeBron James. Since he’d be agreeing to the trade, it’s safe to say he’s fine with the role, but it’s hard to say until he’s actually in it.

But, this question isn’t really applicable, as Otto Porter would need to agree to any sign-and-trade as well. As David Aldridge mentioned in his Morning Tip, Otto doesn’t have much incentive to agree to a sign and trade.

"He’s a restricted free agent and would lose tens of millions of dollars if he agreed to a sign-and-trade deal with anyone this summer (fewer years, smaller yearly raises) instead of re-signing with Washington. There’s literally no incentive for anyone to do a sign-and-trade anymore, which was the point of changing the CBA — to make it easier rather than harder for teams to keep their own players."

If Melo is still on the Knicks next season, the Wizards could revisit a trade for Melo, after December 15th, as that is the point where players signed in the offseason are eligible to be traded. Because of his age and diminishing skill set, I’d rather wait for DeMarcus Cousins to be available next trade deadline, or to be a free agent next summer.