According to Ivan's latest article, the Wizards have until Friday to pick up the third-year options on Nick Young and Oleksiy Pecherov. Young seems to be a no-brainer, but Pecherov is a question mark. Granted, he's been injured much of his time here, but his production has been underwhelming, and not picking up his option would free up $2.4 million in salary next season.

There have been times when I thought Pecherov showed some promise. He's obviously a capable outside shooter, and he's a 7-footer. Reports are that he works hard on his game, and  there have been times when he 's mixed it up during games.  I like that. But he's not a particularly gifted athlete, and he frequently looks lost: His shot selection is questionable, he's somewhat turnover prone, and he sometimes looks lost on defense.

I think big men who can shoot are a valuable commodity, but Pecherov doesn't play particularly big. It would be nice if the team could assess his performance this season before deciding what to do with his contract, but we don't have that luxury. Forced to make a decision this week, I'm inclined to let him become a free agent.

What do others think?

[Editor's Note: I'm glad Vanilla Gorilla brought this up.  It's definitely something that's worth talking about.  Two things to keep in mind when you're discussing this are A) As tight as we are against the cap, every little bit of relief helps.  B) If Grunfeld picks up Pech's option, he could use it to make him more appealing in a trade a la Adam Morrison.  

Also, if you're interested in some Bullets Forever Fantasy Basketball, indicate your interest here.  -Jake]