5 Free agents Wizards should sign for same reason as Jonas Valanciunas
By Jack Simone
The Washington Wizards made a big-time splash on the first night of free agency when they signed veteran big man Jonas Valanciunas to a three-year, $30 million deal.
Valanciunas joins the Wizards after spending three years with the New Orleans Pelicans, and he should provide a great veteran presence for French rookie Alex Sarr.
Now that they have brought Valanciunas on board, perhaps the Wizards will continue to take the same strategy, adding more veterans to help their young core develop.
They already have a potential mentor for Valanciunas, so maybe they should sign veterans to help Bub Carrington, Kyshawn George, and Bilal Coulibaly, too. Here are five potential ideas.
5 Free agents Wizards should sign as mentors like Jonas Valanciunas
1. Seth Curry
This idea wholly depends on what the rest of the market looks like for Seth Curry, but he would be a guy who could help mentor both Carrington and George. There have been rumblings that the Charlotte Hornets want to bring him back into the fold, but if that doesn’t pan out, then bringing him on board to help their three-point shooting would be a great idea for the Wizards.
Curry has been in the league for years and could help Carrington and George with their ability to play off the ball and drain catch-and-shoot threes. That will be an extremely valuable skill for them to have moving forward in their careers.
2. Patty Mills
As the Washington Wizards look to develop Carrington as their long-term point guard, bringing in a guy like Patty Mills would be a great idea. He’s been in the league forever and would be able to pass down plenty of knowledge.
Mills has not only been a great three-point shooter but also a consummate professional at every stage of his NBA career. He’d be a great guy to put next to Carrington.
3. Jae Crowder
Whether it be with the Boston Celtics or Phoenix Suns, Jae Crowder has enjoyed a lengthy career at the NBA level as a 3-and-D forward, and he would be able to help George and Coulibaly.
At 33 years old, Crowder is entering the final stages of his NBA career and, like Curry, may prefer to sign with a contender, but he’d be a great guy to have around in Washington as a mentor.
4. Wesley Matthews
Another great defender in his prime, Wesley Matthews would be a nice helping hand for George as he attempts to become the prototypical 3-and-D wing at the NBA level.
Matthews has been an important defender for the Milwaukee Bucks in recent years and, before that, played important roles for the Portland Trail Blazers and Dallas Mavericks.
5. John Wall
The Wizards legend recently stated that he wants to come back to the NBA, even if it were to be in a mentorship role. Why not make it happen with the team he cut his teeth with?
Wall would be a cool guy to have mentoring Carrington, and the storyline writes itself. Bringing Wall back to Washington would be super fun.
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