Washington Wizards Making All The Right Moves

At the beginning of this offseason, there was one thing on the mind of most Washington Wizards’ fans, which was the fact that it is one more summer closer until they can persuade Kevin Durant to come back home to D.C. and bring the city the championship it longs for, with the season coming to a disappointing end in the Eastern Conference semifinals to the Atlanta Hawks.

It wasn’t all disappointing though because the Wizards showed resilience and growth from the prior season.

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They were able to complete the first sweep of a best-of-7 series in franchise history against the Toronto Raptors. John Wall and Bradley Beal played huge roles in the process, ensuring Wizards’ fans that the future would only be brighter.

But it was Paul Pierce who really ignited a fire under the young team, not only making his pre-series comments about the Raptors not having the ‘it’ factor, but also by following through with his stubbornness and burying big shot after big shot.

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The assumptions that if Wall had never injured his wrist in the series with Atlanta then the Wizards would have advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals still linger in D.C. The Wizards organization has turned the page, and they have done so swiftly and cleverly.

The Wizards made it clear that they would wait for Pierce’s decision before they began adding other players in free agency. Although they were very optimistic about Pierce’s return, he announced that he would sign with the Los Angeles Clippers. Being that he is from Los Angeles and gets to reunite with head coach Doc Rivers, there is no bad blood for Pierce in D.C.

Are fans disappointed he didn’t re-sign with the Wizards? Yes, but they also appreciate everything he did for the franchise in the short year he was a part of it.

General manager Ernie Grunfeld immediately made a trade to acquire Bucks small forward Jared Dudley for a future second-round pick.

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Dudley had just opted into his last year of his contract with the Bucks, so his contract will come off the books after next season. Dudley is an experienced veteran who can kill opponents with his three-point shot. He doesn’t carry the same impact that Pierce had on the young players, but every team Dudley has played for he has been a constant professional.

It can be expected that Dudley will get some playing time at the stretch 4 position as Pierce did in the playoffs. He will also be a key piece in continuing to help develop Otto Porter Jr. while also introducing first-round pick Kelly Oubre Jr. the ropes of the NBA.

The Wizards followed the Dudley signing another one-year deal with an under-the-radar type of player who will have tremendous impact, Gary Neal. Neal is another veteran who was a key ingredient for the Spurs during their championship runs. Similar to Dudley, Neal is a dead-eye three-point shooter who will produce coming off the bench for Beal.

During his time in San Antonio, he did play some minutes at point guard, so head coach Randy Wittman may put him in for Wall as well.

The most recent signing was announced Tuesday when the Wizards agreed to terms with yet another shooter, Alan Anderson. Anderson took a one-year, $4 million deal that would be used as the mid-level exception for the Wizards. The six-year man out of Michigan State gives the Wizards another viable option off the bench to come in and provide offense.

Last season for the Nets, Anderson shot 44 percent from the field and just less than 35 percent from three.

Going into the offseason, the Wizards had no depth at the wing position, losing Pierce and Rasual Butler to free agency. Now with the additions of Dudley, Neal, Anderson, and Oubre, the Wizards have made it their deepest position. The fact that all of those players are known for their shooting ability will play right into the hands of Wall.

When the Wizards moved Pierce to the stretch 4, it opened up lanes for Wall and he was pretty much impossible to guard.

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Including Oubre, the Wizards now have 14 players on their roster. DeJuan Blair, Martell Webster, and Kevin Seraphin may be used to see what other teams have for trade. The only position they have yet to address through free agency is a true stretch 4.

Drew Gooden looks to be the answer for them since he will be cheap, he knows the system, and shot lights out from three during the playoffs last season.

The main thing to pay attention to about all the Wizards’ moves this offseason is that all the deals are for one year, leaving them plenty of cap space for next summer to make a run at Durant.

The Wizards will be one of more than a dozen teams that will be after Durant, but he is from D.C. and as we have seen this summer with LaMarcus Aldridge and DeAndre Jordan, more and more players are electing to go play for teams from their home state.

With the acquisition of a solid stretch 4, the Wizards look to complete the perfect offseason for a team in their situation. Even though next summer could be the most exciting in franchise history, they are looking to make a statement in the NBA as a whole next season.

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