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It looks like the Wizards won’t waste any time trying to lock up Otto Porter to a long-term deal to keep him in Washington. Mike Wise of The Undefeated is reporting the Wizards will make a strong offer right off the bat:
Wizards will make an aggressive offer at 12:01 am tonight -- and match any offer -- to ensure they keep Otto Porter, @TheUndefeated reports.
— Mike Wise (@MikeWiseguy) June 30, 2017
We’ll find out soon enough what “aggressive” truly means, but considering teams can offer Porter a four-year deal worth over $100 million, Washington will likely need to either offer a fifth year or utilize the eight percent raises only they can offer to keep Porter from exploring the market.
The news comes on the heels of a report from Marc Stein of ESPN that the Brooklyn Nets were expected to make a strong push to sign Porter to an offer sheet:
League sources: Wizards (Otto Porter) & Pistons (Kentavious Caldwell-Pope) bracing for rich Brooklyn interest in their respective RFA studs
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) June 30, 2017
It’s not altogether surprising to see the Wizards will try to move quickly, so they can move on and work on addressing the bench with the limited means they have left to sign players. However, the exact structuring of the deal could play a key role in what exactly the Wizards can do this summer, and in the years to come.
Furthermore, a quick deal would suggest the Wizards are not considering a sign-and-trade offer for Porter, which would have to be mutually agreed upon between Porter, the Wizards, and whatever team would be acquiring him in the deal.