Washington Wizards: 4 free agent big men to target
By Cem Yolbulan
The free agency period is almost upon us, and in 12 hours, teams will be able to start signing free agents. The Washington Wizards, despite the uncertainty surrounding some of their players including Delon Wright, Monte Morris, and Kyle Kuzma, are projected to have enough cap space to be active in the market.
The Wizards will likely have the non-taxpayer mid-level exception available to use this offseason. This is around $12.4 million annually and the Wizards can choose to use all of this on one free agent or split into multiple players. They also don’t have to use it at all if they want to maintain maximum salary cap flexibility going forward.
If Washington decided to use some of their cap space, the best use would be to add to their frontcourt rotation. The Wizards have a deep and talented backcourt with Tyus Jones, Jordan Poole, Bilal Coulibaly, and Johnny Davis. They have plenty invested in that core four players. The forward and center depth leaves more to be desired.
While Deni Avdija and Daniel Gafford are projected to be starters in the frontcourt, the bench options of Anthony Gill and Mike Muscala behind them are underwhelming. Increasing the depth and versatility of the power forwards and centers should be a priority this offseason.
The Wizards should obviously avoid giving long and pricey contracts that would limit their cap flexibility. But, they could target some undervalued big men to sign to tradeable contracts.
The ideal free agents for the Wizards would fit their roster and timeline. Players who can pass and shoot offensively, or provide athleticism and rim protection on the defensive end can cover for the deficiencies of this young Wizards team.
Fortunately for Washington, there are affordable solid center options on the market this summer. Let’s take a look at a few of them.