Time is Now for Washington Wizards Upgrade the Center Position

Washington Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld said Wednesday that Marcin Gortat is a part of the future of the franchise. With he and Ian Mahinmi making a combined $28 million this season, the team is spending a lot of money on two players with diminishing abilities who can’t share the court. The time is now for the team to upgrade at its weakest position.

The NBA offseason has seen many centers being dealt to new teams, most of which are on bad contracts. Timofey Mozgov, Miles Plumlee, Brook Lopez, and even Dwight Howard, have found new homes.

At center, the Wizards have Marcin Gortat and Ian Mahinmi, both of are into their 30’s. Gortat is making $12 million dollars a year, and Mahinmi is making $16 million. If the Wizards want to trade either, or both, the time is now to execute.

Marcin Gortat, since being traded to the Wizards in 2013, has been one of the more consistent players on the roster. He’s developed great chemistry with John Wall, forming one of the better pick-and-roll duos in the league.

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He’s also brought great personality and humor in the locker room, on social media, and on the bench. Even at the age of 33, this past season Gortat averaged a double-double with 10.8 points and 10.4 rebounds.

But the numbers are deceiving. After the All-Star break, Gortat’s play tallied off. He averaged just 8.3 points and 8.1 rebounds, which are poor numbers for a starting center. Gortat’s role in the offense gradually shrunk as the season went along, becoming the 5th option in the starting lineup. That had more to do with his play than anything else.

While he’s never been an exceptional defender, Gortat has been serviceable for the majority of his career. But this past season, he was poor. He often looked overmatched against younger, more athletic centers.

His rim protection was lackluster and often non-existent, only averaging 0.7 BPG for the season. In the playoffs, Gortat’s deficiencies were highlighted and he struggled to stay on the court at times. Against the Celtics, he couldn’t stop Al Horford from getting what he wanted and failed to prevent him from getting open looks from three.

Wizards fans will only remember one moment from this season about Marcin Gortat: Kelly Olynyk dropping 26 points in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Gortat failed to close out on defense, giving Olynyk several open jumpers. Communication between him and Markieff Morris was also poor. Olynyk won the Celtics that game, scoring 14 points in the 4th quarter when the game was in-reach for the Wizards.

Marcin Gortat has been a steady force for the Wizards since he joined the team. His veteran leadership on and off the court should be not be overlooked, and he was especially important in changing the culture of team.

But today is a new age in the NBA. Big men are becoming more athletic and versatile, able to stretch the floor and make plays off the dribble. This has never been Gortat’s calling card. As he continues to age into his mid 30’s, his athleticism will only decline.

And it appears he knows his role with the team is up in the air. In his exit interview following the Game 7 loss to Boston, Gortat cast doubt on his future with the team.

"“With the Wizards new system, completely different position in the team for me personally, different role for me also … I’m just going to sit down in the summer and talk to my agent, talk to my people and I’m going to analyze if this is the right fit.” said Gortat."

Ian Mahinmi is a different, but similar story. After failing to sign Al Horford last summer, the Wizards threw $64 million dollars over four years Mahinmi’s way. After his first season as a starter for the Indiana Pacers, his defensive chops earned him a big payday. But this is a contract the Wizards would ultimately regret, and for good reason.

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Mahinmi played just 31 games this past season, dealing with injuries for the majority of the year. He averaged 5.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks in 17.9 MPG. These numbers are solid for a backup center, but not for one making $16 million dollars a year.

When Mahinmi was available, he demonstrated the ability to effectively defend and rebound. But he wasn’t available enough. When the playoffs rolled around, a calf injury arose and he missed all but 5 games.

The Wizards should have never signed Mahinmi unless they planned on dealing Gortat. The two are unable to share the floor together due to floor spacing and athleticism. Mahinmi represents the better option of the two because he’s younger, better defensively, and has significantly less mileage on him for his career. But he’s not without his shortcomings.

For whatever reason, centers similar to Gortat and Mahinmi have been in demand this offseason. The Wizards need to act fast on this trend, before it’s too late. Going into next season with both under contact is a very worrisome thought.

Next: Will the Wiz Trade Back Into the '17 NBA Draft?

In order to create cap space and adjust to the modern NBA play style, either Gortat or Mahinmi, or both, need to be in different uniforms next season.