With the season slowly coming to an end, free agency chatter is bound to start up. With little cap space to work with, who could the Washington Wizards target this summer?
As the season progresses, it is looking less and less likely that the Washington Wizards are going to make the 2020 playoffs. Right now, they are 4.5 games out of the 8th seed. There is technically still a chance, but after a rough west coast trip that saw them go 1-3, the odds are not in the Wizards’ favor at the moment.
As the losses continue to pile up, the draft will obviously get a lot of the attention this offseason. Where and who will the Wizards will pick in June?
However, outside of the draft, the Wizards will also have a few dollars to play with once free agency hits. The guys who they may target could have a serious impact next season.
With John Wall set to return and Bradley Beal committing to stay in DC (for now), it sounds like the Wizards are going to go all-in on being competitive and try for a top playoff spot next season.
Assuming that is the plan, the first order of business for the Wizards in free agency will be re-signing Davis Bertans. The Latvian Laser has been an absolute stud this season and it sounds like he and his camp want to stay in DC.
The issue that will arise, however, is how much Davis will cost. Even with Ian Mahinmi coming off the books this summer, The Wizards cap sheet is not ideal and Bertans will be costly. If the Wizards want to keep Bertans, they’ll need to use most, if not all, of their available cap space to re-sign him.
The good thing, however, is that even with limited space, the Wizards will still have the MLE (mid level exception) to use towards free agents. It is slated to be worth roughly $9.5 million dollars that can be used however they please.
With this $9.5 million to use and hopes of playoff contention next season, free agency will be very important for the Washington Wizards.
They will need to find missing pieces at a bargain rate so they will need to be smart!
With that being said, lets take a look at a few options, listed in no particular order.
1. Maurice Harkless
I was asked during our Mailbox Monday series who I believed was the best fit for the MLE and Harkless was a name I mentioned. Since then, I haven’t changed my mind. Let me explain why.
The Wizards defense is more than lacking and will need to improve if they want to be any good next season. The return of John Wall will help, but reinforcements on the defensive end will be needed.
I believe that the best use of the MLE for the Wizards is on a defensively-minded veteran wing or a big. Harkless fits the bill.
Harkless is a long-armed wing standing at 6’9 with a wingspan at 7’2 and uses his length to be a pest on defense.
He can guard multiple positions, one through four, if needed and can interrupt passing lanes with his long arms. He is averaging 1.5 steals per 36 minutes this season.
He is the type of guy who could fit in on either unit for the Wizards as he is multi-dimensional on the defensive side and does not require a lot of touches on offense. Although not a great shooter, he is a solid slasher who could fit in nicely with the influx of shooting the Wiz already have.
Currently averaging 5.7 points and 4.0 rebounds this season playing with both the LA Clippers and New York, Harkless probably will not be very expensive, either.
Harkless was essentially salary filler in the trade that sent Marcus Morris from New York to LA, which is a good sign that he’ll be available for less than the $11 million he’s making this season once he hits the open market in the summer.
If the Wizards can grab a Moe Harkless for less than the full MLE, the Wizards might be able to solidify a deep rotation for 2020-2021.
He may not be a headliner FA signing but he brings to the table what the Wizards lack the most, and that’s defense.
2. Jae Crowder
Jae Crowder is just a straight-up hooper.
His combination of toughness, defensive effort, and shooting makes Crowder the perfect glue guy for any team.
After years of battling it out against Crowder while he was in Boston, the Wizards and their fans know all about what he can do.
He is currently playing great with the Miami Heat, averaging 13.2 points and 6.0 rebounds in about 30 minutes per game since coming over from Memphis via basketball reference.
After years of being known as a 3&D player, Crowder had struggled from three this season. While with Memphis, Crowder only shot 29 percent from beyond the arc. However, since coming to Miami he has gotten back into a rhythm and is shooting 42 percent from three in the 11 games he’s played in.
This shooting improvement should be a welcome adjustment for any potential free-agent suitors, especially the Wizards. If Crowder were to come to D.C., he would be playing with one of the best passers in the league, John Wall, and catch and shoot chances would become a lot easier.
Crowder has shown that age 29 he can still play at a very high level. His combination of size and strength on the defensive end would do wonders in DC. His veteran presence would be very beneficial for the young guys, as they continue to try and improve on that end.
In addition to all his basketball skills, Crowder would bring real veteran leadership and professionalism to DC. At every stop of his career, you can find personnel after personnel who will rant and rave about Crowder and how good he is in the locker room. He’s been on every type of team you can think off up to this point and always provides a positive impact.
He may be a tough get with how well he is playing and Miami will probably at least look to bring him back. However, with their cap sheet and star hunting mentality over the next few summers, Miami may leave Crowder as a cap casualty.
With his ability to play defense, shoot, and bring a strong locker room presence, if you can get a guy like Jae Crowder even for the full MLE, bring him in!
3. Paul Milsap
If the Wiz do not use the MLE on a wing, a big is clearly the best option.
Although nearing the end of his career, Paul Milsap could be a great fit in DC.
As a power forward, even with Rui Hachimura and potentially Davis Bertans on the roster next season, Milsap would still be able to provide a lot of support. Just like Crowder, Milsap has a lot of two-way value with his ability to stretch the floor and shoot on offense, as well as being able to guard multiple positions on defense.
Currently playing in Denver, Milsap is still averaging 11.9 points and 5.9 rebounds as a secondary option on a crowded Nuggets team. His play is likely to start to decline at the age of 35, but his age could also drive his price down in the open market. He will probably be cheap!
The market is still developing for a lot of these guys in a weak free agency class, but getting a guy like Milsap with the MLE would be valuable.
He is currently shooting a career-high 43 percent from three this season. With his ability to shoot and crash the glass on the inside, Milsap would fit great along with the Wizards’ dynamic backcourt.
He is another guy who can play multiple positions so having Rui and Davis should not deter the Wiz from pursuing Milsap, who could share the floor with either. He brings some flare and physicality on defense that would be an immediate help in DC.
Milsap, a 13-year veteran, can also bring some wisdom to locker room, especially for the young frontcourt. With Rui and Moritz Wagner expected to get a lot of minutes next year, Milsap would be able to take them under his wing and show them how to be as good as they can possibly be.
With the Denver Nuggets pretty deep at the moment, it is looking unlikely that Milsap will be back there next year, so why not give it a shot if you are Tommy Sheppard?
Plus, he actually has some playoff experience, something few Wizards currently have, and something that could be crucial in a year or so.
4. Tristan Thompson
Surprise, Surprise.
After some rumors swirled around about the Wizards being interested in Thompson at the trade deadline, it would be no surprise to see them interested in him this summer.
As far as fit goes, Thompson would be perfect. The other day I wrote a piece about how I am not sure Thomas Bryant is the right guy to start at C for the Wiz. Bryant’s not the guy for good, TT could be the guy for now.
Now in his ninth NBA season, Thompson brings the same thing to the table that he has always brought: rim protection and defense. Two things the Wizards desperately need.
He is another guy who fits in because he does not require a lot of touches on offense, but is still having a great year on that end, averaging a career-high 12.2 points per game in Cleveland.
The points are great but his rim protection is probably his most redeeming quality. Thompson is a physical big man who is not afraid to use his six fouls. He is big enough to guard both 4s and 5s and has enough speed and strength to stick with either.
With Bryant being a better offensive threat, Thompson would be a solid fit with the starting group where he could provide defensive help when scoring isn’t really a problem.
Having a guy who could suck up rebounds and play in the pick and roll with Wall is always going to valuable for he Wizards, and Thompson may be the best one PnR partner of Wall’s career.
The Wizards have proven time and time again this season that scoring if no problem, so any free agency move should be made with defense in mind.
Tristan Thompson, if available, would absolutely be a huge upgrade both for the center position and for the defense, as a whole.
The Wizards will have to be smart with their use of the MLE whether that means they use the full thing on one impact player or if they try and break it up to sign multiple bargain players.
Regardless of how they end up using it, these guys could help the Wizards in their quest for a resurgence next season.