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NBA Free Agency has just begun! Here is your open thread to chat about various moves and trades that will start tonight and throughout Sunday morning.
Do the Wizards have cap space to sign anyone outright?
No. The Wizards have over $123 million in salaries for the 2018-19 season. They are well above the salary cap of $101.869 million.
What exceptions do the Wizards have?
The Wizards have at least the taxpayer midlevel exception where a player can sign a $5.3 million for up to three years. They also have the minimum salary exception available.
Free Agency started. Why don’t the teams announce anything for a few days?
Teams can negotiate with players starting on July 1 at 12:01 a.m. EST. However, they cannot officially sign contracts until July 6.
Who are players on the Wizards’ 2017-18 team that are free agents?
Mike Scott, Ty Lawson, Ramon Sessions, Chris McCullough, and Tim Frazier are the Wizards’ unrestricted free agents. Of the five, the Wizards have Frazier’s Bird rights. McCullough did not have his fourth year option granted, while the rest signed one year contracts (or less) last season.
What are the Wizards’ needs?
The most pressing need is frontcourt depth. Marcin Gortat was traded last Tuesday, which paves the way for Ian Mahinmi to be the starting center this fall. But he is very foul prone and suffered multiple injuries last season.
The second priority is to find a reliable reserve guard who would be on the Wizards beyond next season. Austin Rivers, whom the Wizards traded for in the Gortat deal could be a good stopgap this fall and winter, but he’s likely a one-year rental. Meanwhile, Tomas Satoransky SHOULD be the Wizards’ reserve point guard behind John Wall. But Scott Brooks doesn’t appear to like Satoransky’s style of play. Perhaps the Wizards will re-sign Ty Lawson, but they will likely look at a wide range of players in the coming hours and days.
Do the Wizards have a shot at the “biggest free agents?”
LeBron James, Paul George, DeAndre Jordan, and DeMarcus Cousins are the big names. Don’t count on them wearing Monumental Red this fall, though you never know of course.
Chat Away!
We’ll update the site as free agent signings and/or trades happen.