The Washington Wizards are in the middle of nowhere. They just started a rebuild, are fresh off their worst season in franchise history, and this year’s draft is one of the worst in recent memory.
So, what’s the best next step for them? While the draft and trade market will be important, Washington could also look to free agency as a means to improve.
But rather than going after players who can help them win now, they should be looking for players they can develop into stars. Or, at the very least, stars in their roles.
Every year, teams snag free agents for cheap prices that turn into legitimate rotation pieces, and sometimes even more. Here are five free agents the Wizards should target in hopes of developing the next steal.
1. Patrick Williams (restricted)
The Chicago Bulls never gave Patrick Williams a contract extension. The former fourth-overall pick will now be heading into this summer as a restricted free agent.
And while it seems likely that the Bulls will choose to match whatever offer he gets and bring him back, the Wizards could still look to clear up some cap space and steal him away from Chicago.
That could mean a hefty price, a price the Wizards may not be able to afford, but he should definitely be on their radar heading into this summer.
The Bulls have a history of failing to develop their talent. Lauri Markkanen has emerged as a star since leaving the Bulls, and, to a lesser extent, Wendell Carter Jr. has also enjoyed success post-Chicago.
Williams has the build of a great 3-and-D player, and if he goes to a place that’s committed to letting him play through all his mistakes, it could do wonders for his development.
In Washington, he would be able to play heavy minutes, learn on the fly, and not have to worry about winning above all else. (Even though that’s always the goal in the NBA.)
Should the Wizards trade Kyle Kuzma, which they probably should, Williams would be a nice guy to pair with the rest of Washington’s frontcourt players.
Washington doesn’t have any cap space, so they would have to do some real finagling to get something like this done, but Williams would definitely be an interesting target.
2. Markelle Fultz
Perhaps the time for Markelle Fultz to turn into a star has come and gone. He couldn’t do it with the Philadelphia 76ers, and even with the Orlando Magic, he was just a solid role player.
But there was a reason he was the first pick in a draft that also included Jayson Tatum, De’Aaron Fox, Bam Adebayo, and so many other talented players.
Fultz clearly has, or maybe had, the tools to be a great player in the NBA, and just because he hasn’t figured it out yet doesn’t mean the league should give up on him.
Orlando could look to bring him back, but with Anthony Black’s emergence as a rookie, they could also choose to move in a different direction.
There probably won’t be a huge market for Fultz’ services, so there’s a chance the Wizards could swoop in and land him on a contract that doesn’t match his true value on the court.
Depending on what they do with Tyus Jones this summer, Fultz could step in as one of the top guard options in Washington, giving him the opportunity to control things the way he sees fit.
It’s a small chance, but if he’s given that freedom again, maybe he can finally put all the pieces together and get close to the player people wanted him to be.
3. Lonnie Walker IV
Considering the Washington Wizards won’t actually have cap space this summer, a lot of these potential signings hinge on them using their MLE, which would work for some players and not for others.
In the case of Lonnie Walker IV, the Wizards would have to hope that the Brooklyn Nets don’t bring him back, and with how well he played, they will probably try to.
But in Washington, Walker IV could take on an even larger role than the one he enjoyed in Brooklyn. The Wizards could let him start and give him the ball more, and with those things in mind, he could flourish.
At his best, Walker IV was an extremely efficient scoring machine, and while his end-of-season efficiency numbers fell off a bit, there was still an outline of a great offensive player there.
With his athleticism and scoring ability, it’s not crazy to think that he could take another leap next year if given a larger role within an NBA offense.
At just 25 years old, Walker IV’s best NBA days are likely still ahead of him, and the Wizards should be in the business of taking chances on guys this summer. Walker IV should be one of them.
4. Bol Bol
How many times can people talk about Bol Bol in hopes of turning him into a star? It seems like it’s been a topic of discussion ever since he stepped foot in the NBA.
So far, things haven’t panned out perfectly for Bol, but his stop with the Phoenix Suns this past year turned into him becoming a fan-favorite throughout the city.
He enjoyed some real success during his one year with the Orlando Magic, but they decided not to bring him back. Maybe the Washington Wizards could give it a try.
Bol’s physical skillset is exactly what teams should be dying to get their hands on nowadays, but he just hasn’t been able to put all the pieces together on the court.
In theory, he should be a great defensive weapon and an extremely unique offensive cog, but at each stop, he’s just been a step slow in both of those areas.
The Wizards aren’t going to be good next year. They aren’t even going to be close to being close to being good. So, why not take a chance on Bol in hopes that this is the year that he figures it all out at the NBA level?
5. Talen Horton-Tucker
This is perhaps the most outrageous suggestion of the bunch, but looking down the list of potential free agents this summer, the options with anything even close to star potential are very slim.
Talen Horton-Tucker was held out of Kyle Lowry talks by the Los Angeles Lakers all those years ago because of how high they were on him.
Whether or not you want to look at that as a knock on the Lakers’ scouting or their ability to develop talent is up to you, but the point is, people thought this guy was going to be a star at one point.
Since then, things just simply haven’t panned out. He’s been decent with the Utah Jazz for the past two seasons, but his efficiency numbers have only gotten worse.
His length and playmaking skills still pop out as intriguing factors from time to time, but it would be wholly unsurprising to see the Jazz move on from him this summer.
And again, the Wizards should be doing anything they can to find any sort of star power. Horton-Tucker probably won’t be a star. It’s more than likely. But for Washington, it’s worth taking a look.
Who knows, maybe something will click in another new situation.