Washington Wizards: 3 goals for the 2019 offseason
By Ben Yokoyama
2. Keep young talent at reasonable prices
This team is not going to compete for a championship, but it can reach the playoffs next season if it keeps the young pieces that seized their opportunities last year. Among their many free agents this offseason, there are four young players the Wizards should try to keep in the organization.
After being traded from the Bulls, Bobby Portis started 22 of his 28 games in the District, averaging 14.3 points and 8.6 rebounds a night. The 2015 first-rounder impressed in his short stint, shooting 40.3 percent from behind the arc in those games. He is currently a restricted free agent who was paid a measly $2.5 million last season. The Wizards should try to retain him for anything below $7 million, and he should prove his worth.
Jabari Parker will be one of the most difficult decisions for Washington’s front office this offseason. The team can exercise his $20 million team option, or it can let him walk into free agency. The asking price is too high for the Wizards, who have already wasted $15 million on Ian Mahinmi’s contract, to take on that salary for an injury-prone player.
However, Parker did shine in his time with the Wizards, scoring 15.0 points and taking down 7.2 rebounds per game off the bench, a place the Wizards need to improve.
Tomas Satoransky took over the point guard role and gave a solid 8.9 points, 5.0 assists and 3.5 rebounds in 27.1 minutes per game. The lanky Czech guard played good defense all year, was unselfish directing the offense and impacted more than the stat sheet on the floor. He is a restricted free agent who will likely need a slight raise from the $3.1 million he earned last season. The Wizards should match any offer sheet less than $7-8 million.
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Finally, Thomas Bryant took over for Howard and put up 10.5 points and 6.3 rebounds in just 20.8 minutes per game. He also delivered one of the performances of the year with a 31-point, 13-rebound game on a perfect 14-of-14 shooting against the Phoenix Suns. Mostly a G League player the last few years, the restricted free agent was owed just $1.4 million last year. The Wiz should try to keep him around if they can get him for around $5 million a year.