Washington Wizards: Free Agent Options, Small Forward Omri Casspi

Washington Wizards’ main priority this offseason will be revamping their bench. There are plenty of options available. Is small forward Omri Casspi an option?

The dawn of free agency is upon us. The new NBA calendar year begins at 12:01am Saturday, July 1, and it will be all hands on deck for GMs and NBA fans.

Every season I forget how fun, yet maddening it is. Unlike many other teams though, the Washington Wizards will not be clamoring for the services of top free agents like Gordon Hayward and Blake Griffin. The players they will be focusing on, will be role players who can give the starters more rest, and play alongside the starters at times.

So with limited money, and needs at almost every position, who can Washington target. We’ve already mentioned Ian Clark and Ben McLemore. What about Omri Casspi, who spent last season in Sacramento, Minnesota, and (briefly) New Orleans?

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Casspi, still only 29, is coming off the worst season in 5 years. In only 36 regular season games, Casspi averaged 5.2 points, 3.1 rebounds, and shot 34.9% on three-pointers.

Not good. Not good at all. But it was a complicated year for Casspi. He missed time in Sacramento with a variety of injuries including a plantaris tendon strain and a calf strain, and an illness that caused him to miss 5 games.

He played only 22 games in Sacramento, and we already know that’s not the best of environments.

He was traded with DeMarcus Cousins to the Pelicans in February. In his first game with New Orleans, Casspi scored 12 points, but broke his thumb. The Pelicans ended up waiving him, and he was expected to miss 6 weeks with the injury. A month after the injury, he signed with Minnesota, and played the final 13 games with the Timberwolves.

Casspi would fit well in Washington as another player with length who can handle the ball some, and shoot from deep. On his career, Casspi has shot the three at 36.7%. His best season from three came in 2015-16 when he shot 40.9% in 69 games. That season he averaged 11.8 points and 5.9 assists per game.

So there is still a shooter that can be unlocked when it comes to Casspi. Washington’s bench needs length and shooting more than anything. The team already traded for Tim Frazier, so backup point guard appears to be locked up.

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The team may elect to let Bojan Bogdanovic walk to avoid going over the luxury tax early in free agency. Casspi would be a cheap replacement who could fill a very similar role. Additionally, he can play power forward when necessary, giving the team more lineup possibilities.

Wizards fans will love the dark horse #SoWizards reason for signing Casspi. He was DeMarcus Cousins best friend in his last season in Sacramento. After the trade, Cousins mentioned that he felt more comfortable with the unexpected trade, because he was coming to the Pelicans alongside his friend Omri.

The Wizards will likely be courting Cousins the 2018 free agency, and having Casspi and Wall to help recruit him would certainly be a big advantage. Considering the rumors that the Wizards hired Scott Brooks to give them a better chance at Kevin Durant, it’s not absurd to think Washington could go this route.

Next: Washington Wizards: Free Agent Options, Kings Guard Ben McLemore

Despite Washington having little flexibility in free agency, the team still has a variety of options depending on how the Otto Porter and Bojan Bogdanovic situations work out. Here’s to 12:01, and here’s to this next week of madness.

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