Wizards Not Interested In Nate Robinson
The Washington Wizards rumors regarding Nate Robinson appear to be misguided.
Earlier this week, the Boston Celtics acquired Robinson from the Denver Nuggets in exchange for Jameer Nelson. The rebuilding Celtics made the move strictly for salary purposes. They are trying to clear cap room going forward and Nelson has a player option in his contract for $2.85 million next season.
After receiving Robinson, the Celtics immediately negotiated a buyout, making the 30-year-old a free agent.
According to a report from Yahoo Sports Marc J. Spears, the Wizards are among a handful of teams interested in Robinson’s services.
On the surface, Robinson coming to D.C. makes sense. Washington does not have a true shooting guard behind Bradley Beal, as both Rasual Butler and Martell Webster are more suited to play small forward. It also wouldn’t hurt to bring in an insurance policy at backup point guard in case 38-year-old Andre Miller breaks down.
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Even though Robinson is just 5’9″, he plays the role of a combo guard. He’s a career 36 percent three-point shooter who’s proven he can score in bunches and ignite an offense.
As recently as the 2013 playoffs Robinson even starred as a leading man, taking over the Chicago Bulls scoring load in the absence of Derrick Rose. Robinson helped guide Chicago past the Brooklyn Nets in the first round, averaging 17.0 points per game in the series. He also posted 27 points in a shocking Game 1 victory in Miami in Round 2.
However, the current version of Robinson is not the same player we saw a year-and-a-half ago. This season with Denver, he averaged just 5.8 points in 14.1 minutes per game, while shooting only 35 percent from the field and 26 percent beyond the arc.
J. Michael of CSN Washington writes:
"“No, for the umpteenth time, Robinson is not in the Wizards’ sights despite plenty of rumor and innuendo that he was a player of interest in the summer of 2013. He never has been. Aside from his knee injuries leaving him a shell of what he used to be, Robinson’s perceived attitude has long been considered a red flag. He never was offered a contract with the Wizards, who instead signed Eric Maynor. That summer, C.J. Watson, Beno Udrih and Maynor were offered two-year deals under the bi-annual exception. Maynor, who turned out to be a disaster and quickly was traded, is the one who accepted the deal first.”"
Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post conveys a similar sentiment:
Nate Robinson would like to play for the #Wizards, but the team isn’t currently interested and hasn’t reached out, according to two sources.
— Jorge Castillo (@jorgecastillo) January 16, 2015
As was the case when Washington was said to be showing interest in Nelson last week, in reality it’s unlikely Robinson would have a relevant impact on the Wizards. If he’s not going to play in front of Butler, Webster or Miller, why even bother adding him? It’ll soon be the time of year when contending teams like Washington are looking to tighten rotations, not expand them.
And as Michael points out, the Wiz likely plan to hold off on filling their final roster spot as long as the possibility of landing Ray Allen is still alive.