2020 NBA Free Agency: 3 Players the Washington Wizards should have signed
By Ethan Smith
The Washington Wizards made some moves signing during the first weekend of free agency. However, they missed out on a few players that would’ve made sense.
The Washington Wizards took care of priority number one when free agency opened. Within four hours, the Wizards had re-signed Davis Bertans to a five year, $80 million deal. However, the rest of the weekend was filled with head-scratching and uninspiring moves. They added Robin Lopez, Raul Neto, Anthony Gill, Caleb Moseley, and Yoeli Childs. They retained Garrison Mathews. They didn’t move the needle. They didn’t elevate their ceiling.
When you look at the Wizards’ roster after the first weekend of free agency, it’s not all that exciting. However, it’s not because there weren’t options out there. While some players who signed for deals in the Wizards’ price range would have been good fits, the Wizards probably never had a chance with players like Tristan Thompson, Serge Ibaka, Moe Harkless, or Aron Baynes. All three chose more established contenders in Boston, LA, Miami, and Toronto, respectively. The Wizards could have added some other pieces, though.
Here are three players the Washington Wizards missed out on in free agency.
Free Agency Miss #3: Harry Giles
Since taking over as general manager of the Washington Wizards, Tommy Sheppard has been big on taking fliers on former first-rounders who haven’t panned out in the NBA. He scooped up Mortiz Wagner (and Isaac Bonga). He pulled Jerome Robinson off the end of the LA Clippers’ bench. He added Jerian Grant to the bubble team. There’s been a definite pattern, to say the least. So seeing what Harry Giles, the 20th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, went for in free agency, it’s disappointing that the Wizards didn’t take a flier on him.
Giles signed a one-year deal with the Portland Trail Blazers for the league minimum. It’s a great deal for a 22-year-old big man whose early NBA career has been hampered by knee injuries. Giles’ injury history is concerning, but it could be overlooked for the minimum.
Giles will probably never live up to the lottery-pick hype he once had, but there’s still some upside left in the former Blue Devil. Plus, Giles is coming into the 2020-21 season with a bit of a chip on his shoulder. He joins Portland after Sacramento declined his $4 million contract option for the 2020-21 season. It was an odd move by the Kings, and now Giles joins the Trail Blazers with a chance to prove his worth before hitting the market again next offseason.
The Wizards entered the 2020 offseason needing to shore up their center position. Giles may not have solved all their problems down low, but, for the minimum, he would have been worth a shot.