Washington Wizards: Offseason To-Do List
The Washington Wizards can say goodbye to the days of flying under the radar. Starting next season, the secret will be out that this team has the talent and potential to emerge as a playoff contender.
Although in many ways the 2013-14 season will be a transition year for the franchise, this summer must still be approached as an opportunity to solidify a roster that it capable of winning now.
Further to that point, here are five items that I would include on their offseason to-do list.
1. Assess salary commitments
Chances are slim that Emeka Okafor will exercise the early termination option on the final year of his contract, which is valued at $14.4 million. So along with the $13 million that Nene will collect in 2013-14, the Wizards have $27.4 million tied up in what is potentially their starting frontcourt.
Nene is under contract for three more seasons at a total of $39 million. (Photo Credit: Keith Allison, Flickr.com)
Add in Trevor Ariza, who has a player option on his $7.7 million salary (which he is also unlikely to exercise), plus John Wall at $7.4 million and that amounts to $42.5 million owed to four players under what is projected to be a $58.5 million salary cap.
As it currently stands, the Wizards have nine players locked into deals next season at a total value of $57 million. Now, I’m not about to step into the role of a cap expert, but it would seem that the team will have to rely on various salary exceptions and minimum-level contracts to fill out the roster.
That is unless general manager Ernie Grunfeld is able to create some financial wiggle room through the trade market. The amnesty clause, however, is not an option this summer because it was already used to part ways with Andray Blatche. They will, of course, have the luxury of employing the third pick in the draft at an affordable price.
What many Wizards fans probably know is that the team is positioned to have a significant amount of cap space and as little as one player (Nene) under contract after next season.
Therefore, the task at hand is to balance the need to field a competitive team this season without disrupting the potential to overhaul the roster in the summer of 2014.
2. Determine free agents to target
Martell Webster appeared in 76 games for the Wizards in 2012-13. (Photo Credit: Mark Allison, Flickr.com)
With nine players under contract and the possibility of adding as many as three rookies through the draft (they also have two second-round picks), the Wizards will need to find some bargains to assemble a 15-man squad.
Preferably the team reaches out to players agreeable to inking one-year deals and who would not get in the way of the development of Bradley Beal, Kevin Seraphin, and–dare I say it–Jan Vesely.
Bringing back Martell Webster might make some sense and the likes of Corey Brewer, Mike Dunleavy Jr., Earl Clark, Chris Wilcox, Daniel Gibson and a host of others could slide into that type of role.
The idea here is to gather a supporting cast capable of holding down the fort for a year.
3. Extend John Wall
The future of the Washington Wizards begins with Bradley Beal and John Wall. (Photo Credit: Keith Allison, Flickr.com)
It seems like a forgone conclusion that Wall will get the maximum contract he is now in line for, so just make it official.
The Wizards do have until the first regular season game of 2013-14 to come to an agreement and also have the option of letting Wall head to restricted free agency after next season, so the matter is not necessarily urgent. Still, assuming Wall wants to stay, it would send a message to both him and the league in general that the Wizards have a plan going forward.
Heading into what will be his fourth season, the 22-year-old has already established himself as a top tier talent at his position, if not overall.
Not making an effort to secure Wall for the long term would be a total and shocking surprise.
4. Weigh head coaching options
Brian Shaw may not be on the market much longer. (Photo courtesy of The White House Office of the Press Secretary via http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Brian_Shaw.jpg#file)
If Grunfeld was planning to fire Randy Wittman, it probably would have happened by now.
But that doesn’t stop me from wondering if Wittman–owner of a 47-84 record since taking over 18 games into the 2011-12 season–is a good fit to keep the ship straight and steer it forward.
Wittman seems better suited for an assistant role and it’s unclear to me whether he thrives in a system where a major priority is to develop a core of young players. While the notion of attracting a big name, such as George Karl or Stan Van Gundy, seems far-fetched and, perhaps, undesirable, an appropriate target and perfect fit would be Brian Shaw.
Sure, they could retain Wittman for one more season and maybe get away with it, but there are obvious advantages to making a change now.
For instance, if Shaw or someone else out there possesses the characteristics of the bench boss needed for the next three to five years, then installing him for the upcoming season would build a logical bridge to whatever management has planned for the 2014 offseason.
5. Set realistic goals
In Wall, Beal, Vesely, Seraphin, Okafor, Nene, and Ariza, the Wizards have a good mix of youth and experience and enough talent to make a push for the seventh or eighth playoff spot in the Eastern Conference next season.
To get there, the team would have to win somewhere in the neighborhood of 40 games, which isn’t unrealistic by any means. Last season, the Wizards stumbled to a 5-28 start as Wall was sidelined with an injury, but after his return to the lineup on Jan. 12, they finished up strong, going 24-25 the rest of the way.
The Wizards are in a unique position to develop their core without sacrificing wins, so they should approach the 2013-14 season with an eye towards ending a five-year postseason drought.