4 buyout candidates the Washington Wizards should target
By Keith Cork
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
Position: Small Forward/Power Forward
Age: 26
An athletic and defensive-minded wing, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is a rare hustle guy that can get you a steal and a block per game, doing so in his 2016-17 campaign with the Charlotte Hornets. MKG became buried behind guys like Miles Bridges, P.J. Washington, and Marvin Williams (who has been rumored to be signing with the Bucks).
Marvin Williams — a tremendous veteran shooter — headed to join Giannis Antetokounmpo and the team with the NBA’s best record. https://t.co/GbPOJ99YMw
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 8, 2020
MKG is actually the only player on this list that has solid rumors surrounding him of a buyout. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski broke the news yesterday.
Reporting with @espn_macmahon: Charlotte is finalizing a contract buyout with F Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. Dallas has emerged as a possible destination once MKG clears waivers.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 8, 2020
MKG would be an excellent end of bench addition who might even be capable of starting over Troy Brown Jr. TBJ gets his shots in volume so his preferred role may be as the Wizards’ 6th man with the second unit.
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An MKG signing should absolutely come with a bit of hesitancy though, mainly because Kidd-Gilchrist is absolutely terrible at shooting from beyond the arc. He’s been shooting from behind the arc more this season, 1.4 per game in his 12 appearances, and only connecting on 29.4 percent of those attempts.
However, I feel if you pay Bertāns and have Beal out there, the long-range threats are entirely covered, so you can afford to roster a unique talent like Michael Kidd-Gilchrist.