Wizards 2019 Offseason Thread

[nate33]

One of the worst things the Wizards could do this offseason is throw a ton of money once again at the C position.

It also appears to be a popular idea around here with the suggestions of keeping both Bryant & Portis.

This despite Cs across the league eating the Wizards front line for lunch this season with Andre Drummond being the latest example.

I know they young & developing but as I mentioned a few days back, the C position is a very crowded position as more PFs like Faried are forced to switch to C to stay relevant. Many rosters are filled with one or two traditional bigs on contracts their teams now regret. The FA market will be flooded with capable names. It doesn't make sense to pour a ton of money here.

I think the Wizards should only keep one of the two. I'd lean Bryant because in time you hope he can get stronger and improve his awareness. He also will likely be cheaper because he isn't making 5-6 3s a game.

Portis brings a scoring element but may be capped as a bench player due to defensive limitations. Does it make sense to use limited resources on a backup C with a muted impact because he's a poor defender?

Spending a ton of money here ensures other needs will go unaddressed.

In my observation our frontline is being eaten for lunch BECAUSE of Bryant. He's a lost cause defensively imo.. I've seen enough from him playing against starting bigs. Plays with energy and good finisher in the PnR, but he isn't worth a longterm investment for anything more than a minimum type salary.

Portis isn't great defensively either but he has a clear plus skillset as a screen setter & floor spacing big. His presence unlocks 5-out lineups through which our team can create easier offense. Bigs like Faried are a dime a dozen, but PF/C like Portis who can space the floor and attack closeouts are a worthy investment. I'd offer him something around the Kelly Olynyk contract (4yrs/$40-50M) - given his youth at age 23, he could be a positive or at worst neutral asset on that kind of deal.

Neither Bryant nor Portis defend well. Both are energetic and have sufficient length and athleticism, but both seem to lack the instincts to be in the right place at the right time. Center is the most complicated position to defend and it takes time to learn.

The difference between Bryant and Portis is that Bryant is 21 and has played less than 1000 career minutes. Portis is 24 and has played 4200 minutes. I'm more hopeful that Bryant can figure things out. He's also likely to be cheaper. If I had to choose between the two, I'd take Bryant. I'd definitely take Bryant at his $3M QO (or maybe a 2-year/$10M deal), than Portis at 4 years/$50M.

It's also worth noting that Bryant hasn't really been around long enough to properly mold his body for the rigors of the NBA. He could definitely get both stronger and more mobile with the right training.

[Eli Babak]

Bryant turns 22 in the summer so I wouldn't say he's a lost cause. He's not a good defender right now but there's hope for him and a good GM should be able to sign him to a nice 3 year deal at 3-5M/year (with a team option for that 3rd year). If he doesn't work out as a starter at least he's still useful player and doesn't eat too much cap.

I wish he works on his body during the offseason because he looks kinda, well, I don't know. Mahinmi is bad but at least he's in great shape.

[Illmatic12]

One of the worst things the Wizards could do this offseason is throw a ton of money once again at the C position.

It also appears to be a popular idea around here with the suggestions of keeping both Bryant & Portis.

This despite Cs across the league eating the Wizards front line for lunch this season with Andre Drummond being the latest example.

I know they young & developing but as I mentioned a few days back, the C position is a very crowded position as more PFs like Faried are forced to switch to C to stay relevant. Many rosters are filled with one or two traditional bigs on contracts their teams now regret. The FA market will be flooded with capable names. It doesn't make sense to pour a ton of money here.

I think the Wizards should only keep one of the two. I'd lean Bryant because in time you hope he can get stronger and improve his awareness. He also will likely be cheaper because he isn't making 5-6 3s a game.

Portis brings a scoring element but may be capped as a bench player due to defensive limitations. Does it make sense to use limited resources on a backup C with a muted impact because he's a poor defender?

Spending a ton of money here ensures other needs will go unaddressed.

In my observation our frontline is being eaten for lunch BECAUSE of Bryant. He's a lost cause defensively imo.. I've seen enough from him playing against starting bigs. Plays with energy and good finisher in the PnR, but he isn't worth a longterm investment for anything more than a minimum type salary.

Portis isn't great defensively either but he has a clear plus skillset as a screen setter & floor spacing big. His presence unlocks 5-out lineups through which our team can create easier offense. Bigs like Faried are a dime a dozen, but PF/C like Portis who can space the floor and attack closeouts are a worthy investment. I'd offer him something around the Kelly Olynyk contract (4yrs/$40-50M) - given his youth at age 23, he could be a positive or at worst neutral asset on that kind of deal.

Neither Bryant nor Portis defend well. Both are energetic and have sufficient length and athleticism, but both seem to lack the instincts to be in the right place at the right time. Center is the most complicated position to defend and it takes time to learn.

The difference between Bryant and Portis is that Bryant is 21 and has played less than 1000 career minutes. Portis is 24 and has played 4200 minutes. I'm more hopeful that Bryant can figure things out. He's also likely to be cheaper. If I had to choose between the two, I'd take Bryant. I'd definitely take Bryant at his $3M QO (or maybe a 2-year/$10M deal), than Portis at 4 years/$50M.

It's also worth noting that Bryant hasn't really been around long enough to properly mold his body for the rigors of the NBA. He could definitely get both stronger and more mobile with the right training.

I just don't have a great feeling about players like Bryant.. it's not only a physical thing, to me he lacks certain basic fundamentals and awareness. Watch him rebound, he doesn't even know how to box out. Bobby Portis could at least rebound from day 1 in the league (career 16% reb rate vs 12% reb rate for Bryant)

TB strikes me as a typical AAU big man who never learned fundamentals. He plays hard, but he's not a freak athlete like a Montrez Harrell who can get away with just playing hard .

I can see where the pro-Bryant crowd is coming from , but I'll take the minority opinion on this one. But hopefully we can find a way to keep both Bryant and Portis on affordable deals, they could be handy trade assets down the line.

[Ruzious]

Who's this history guy? One thing Portis has impressed me on was his running the court. He got a couple of transition buckets last night. He did get a travelling call after he out-ran the Pistons center one time before he dunked, but most times that doesn't get called. He certainly has the length and strength to play PF, and I think those were the main things missing with our players trying to defend Griffin.

I'm referring to what he's done in Chicago. Chicago fans will tell you his best position is clearly C. His numbers and impact were terrible last year until the Bulls made the switch to having him play C over the 2nd half of last season and he had a mini-breakout. 82games shows a stark difference as well. 5 years ago Portis may have clearly been a PF. Now he's exclusively a C --- like Kenneth Faried.

I stand corrected - assuming the numbers on 82games.com are correct. Looking at the numbers there, it's a shame he punched out Mirotic. Their best lineups were when they played together, and the 2 of them had - by far - the best +/- numbers on the team. The one thing you said that doesn't jibe is Mirotic was there in the first half of the season, and that was when the Portis lineups were most effective, so it's likely he was better in the first half of the season - when it looks he played more C than PF. While PF's had a lower PER against him than centers did, PF's had higher efficiency numbers against him.

[DCZards]

Bryant and Portis are both essentially centers and I agree that it probably doesn’t make any sense to re-sign both of them. I’d prioritize Bryant because he’s younger and has more upside, imo. And he's almost certain to cost less than Portis.

I’d expect Thomas to get bigger and stronger and, hopefully, become smarter and more aware on both ends of the court with experience. Bryant is growing increasingly comfortable at the 3pt range so, in the long run, I don’t give Portis a real edge over him has a floor stretcher.

Both Bryant and Portis play with great effort and run the floor hard. But Bryant is the superior overall athlete and that’s an important consideration.

One of my real hopes is that Jabari balls out for the rest of the season...and finally gets his act together both mentally and physically. Because his skillset is a much better fit for the modern NBA, at least on the offensive end. If that's the case, I'd tried to keep both Bryant and Parker...at the right price, of course.

[jivelikenice]

The Wizards aren't good enough to say, "hey, we're good at x position" They need to add and keep young talent where available so you don't worry about if Bryant and Portis are both centers...keep them both and give the team a better shot at ensuring they hit on one. If it comes down to prioritizing cap space, maybe pass on one of the 33 year old wings.....

[Ruzious]

And with the lux tax threshold set to go to 132 mil next season and 143 mil the season after, if you wait a year to sign players, you're going to pay more. If you believe in these young players, sign them up long-term

[queridiculo]

Whatever offseason decisions the Wizards make they just have to make sure that they consider how that player is going to fit with Zion Williamson.

[nate33]

The Wizards aren't good enough to say, "hey, we're good at x position" They need to add and keep young talent where available so you don't worry about if Bryant and Portis are both centers...keep them both and give the team a better shot at ensuring they hit on one. If it comes down to prioritizing cap space, maybe pass on one of the 33 year old wings.....

The Wizards CAN'T simply keep young talent where available. There is the luxury tax to worry about.

With Wall's contract as an albatross weighing down the franchise, they no longer have the luxury of spending big money and then worrying about the consequences later. It's thinking like that that resulted in the Wizards signing Dwight Howard and then sacrificing three 2nd round picks to get back the luxtax space originally spent to sign Howard.

The bottom line is that neither Portis nor Bryant are big enough difference makers to spend much money on. As I pointed out a few posts ago, there are a zillion centers on the market and not many teams in need of one. It's not a position you spend much money on anymore. If Portis costs $10M, sign Muscala or Faried for $1.6M instead. Better to spend the money on 3&D wings and shot-creating guards.

FWIW, I'm not that thrilled about signing either Ariza or Green either. Green I'll take if he costs the BiAnnual Exception or less, but I wouldn't spend any more than that. Ariza will depend on the price. He's strictly a veteran mentor type who fills a position of need for the short term. If he is resigned, I hope it's for just one year, or maybe a cheap 2-year deal so he can be flipped at the Trade Deadline.

[payitforward]

One of the worst things the Wizards could do this offseason is throw a ton of money once again at the C position.

It also appears to be a popular idea around here with the suggestions of keeping both Bryant & Portis.

This despite Cs across the league eating the Wizards front line for lunch this season with Andre Drummond being the latest example.

I know they young & developing but as I mentioned a few days back, the C position is a very crowded position as more PFs like Faried are forced to switch to C to stay relevant. Many rosters are filled with one or two traditional bigs on contracts their teams now regret. The FA market will be flooded with capable names. It doesn't make sense to pour a ton of money here.

I think the Wizards should only keep one of the two. I'd lean Bryant because in time you hope he can get stronger and improve his awareness. He also will likely be cheaper because he isn't making 5-6 3s a game.

Portis brings a scoring element but may be capped as a bench player due to defensive limitations. Does it make sense to use limited resources on a backup C with a muted impact because he's a poor defender?

Spending a ton of money here ensures other needs will go unaddressed.

Agreed! I do think Bobby Portis can be a good player, but I also think he has to be a 4 to be effective. In any case, we can't afford to give him $15m/yr.

I'm starting to think that it might work best to extend his qualifying offer, then see if we can do a sign-&-trade with his highest bidder. If not, & he goes elsewhere, Ernie can be all "it's not my fault" & overpay Jabari Parker.

[nate33]

I'm starting to think that it might work best to extend his qualifying offer, then see if we can do a sign-&-trade with his highest bidder. If not, & he goes elsewhere, Ernie can be all "it's not my fault" & overpay Jabari Parker.

That's the way I see it shaking out too. I don't even mind the overpaying Jabari Parker part, as long as it's a deal that we can get out of quickly. I'm thinking 2 years with a TO for a 3rd year. It's hard to acquire talent when you have no picks or cap room. The best remaining avenue is to guess right on a high upside guy and try and lock him in before he breaks out. It's a gamble, but what do we have to lose? Over the next 3 years, we don't really have any capacity to put together a contending team without getting lucky with some gambles. If the gambles don't pan out, then the end result is a bad, overpriced team where we have no option but to tank.

[dckingsfan]

So, I think Bryant could eventually be a difference maker. I don't think Portis ever gets there.

Does that make me nuts? I think he is one of the top 10 young bigs in the L and I think he is going to have a big jump next year.

I do not feel the same way about Portis or Parker.

[payitforward]

One of the worst things the Wizards could do this offseason is throw a ton of money once again at the C position. ...ensures other needs will go unaddressed.

Good point. ...The bottom line is that if Portis costs too much, ...Just get a guy like Mike Muscala for the vet minimum.

Exactly. ...the difference b/w two in impact is minimal. But the difference in cost is likely to be significant because of Portis' PPG.

I don't know that Muscala will be available for the vet minimum, or that the difference between him & Portis is as little as "minimal," but we are extremely unlikely to be able to afford Portis. Period. So it doesn't matter.

But, if we are going for a low-cost guy to plug in, then lets go younger -- & lets try to find someone who at least has the potential to be a positive surprise. I.e. the Christian Wood, Khem Birch, Daniel Theis type.

& there is a perfect guy -- Richaun Holmes. He'll be unrestricted & cheap. He's posting a 68.4% TS% -- on top of which, for every 15 shots he takes the guy gets more than 5 offensive rebounds! 2.75 blocks per 40 minutes.

Edit: let me make that last point more graphic. Holmes makes 9.825 out of every 15 shots he takes. Which means that of those 15 shots he misses only 5.175. In that same time period, he gets 5.14 offensive boards. Wow.

[WallToWall]

...... & there is a perfect guy -- Richaun Holmes. He'll be unrestricted & cheap. He's posting a 68.4% TS% -- on top of which, for every 15 shots he takes the guy gets more than 5 offensive rebounds! 2.75 blocks per 40 minutes.
Edit: let me make that last point more graphic. Holmes makes 9.825 out of every 15 shots he takes. Which means that of those 15 shots he misses only 5.175. In that same time period, he gets 5.14 offensive boards. Wow.

I think he is an above average player, and was quite surprised that Sixers let him go last year, before being picked up by Phoenix. I would want him here for a different reason though. I think he is a very good defensive presence. He blocks shots, gets rebounds, contests shots in the middle, and at his best can create havoc for opponents. Most of his points come on drives to the basket and dunks, so dont get too carried away with the "9.825 out of every 15 shots". His FT shooting needs improvement. That said, he does drive to the basket, which is something we dont have right now in a center.

[payitforward]

In my observation our frontline is being eaten for lunch BECAUSE of Bryant. He's a lost cause defensively imo.. I've seen enough from him playing against starting bigs. Plays with energy and good finisher in the PnR, but he isn't worth a longterm investment for anything more than a minimum type salary.

Portis isn't great defensively either but he has a clear plus skillset as a screen setter & floor spacing big. His presence unlocks 5-out lineups through which our team can create easier offense. Bigs like Faried are a dime a dozen, but PF/C like Portis who can space the floor and attack closeouts are a worthy investment. I'd offer him something around the Kelly Olynyk contract (4yrs/$40-50M) - given his youth at age 23, he could be a positive or at worst neutral asset on that kind of deal.

Neither Bryant nor Portis defend well. Both are energetic and have sufficient length and athleticism, but both seem to lack the instincts to be in the right place at the right time. Center is the most complicated position to defend and it takes time to learn.

The difference between Bryant and Portis is that Bryant is 21 and has played less than 1000 career minutes. Portis is 24 and has played 4200 minutes. I'm more hopeful that Bryant can figure things out. He's also likely to be cheaper. If I had to choose between the two, I'd take Bryant. I'd definitely take Bryant at his $3M QO (or maybe a 2-year/$10M deal), than Portis at 4 years/$50M.

It's also worth noting that Bryant hasn't really been around long enough to properly mold his body for the rigors of the NBA. He could definitely get both stronger and more mobile with the right training.

Sorry, illmatic, but what you write makes no sense. Portis is worth a $50m investment "given his youth at 23," but you've "seen enough" of Bryant at 21, so he's only worth "a minimum type salary."

Bunk. What a load! All Bryant is doing is posting a 70.2% TS% -- but that's meaningless I guess. Anybody can do that -- & what difference does it make if shots go in the basket or not, when you can see all the things wrong with him.

Then there's the 12 rebounds per 40 minutes -- who cares if we get them or the other team gets them, right?

As nate writes, Portis is 24 & much more experienced. Bryant is younger, cheaper, & -- guess what? -- more productive. By a mile.

That's not a ding on Portis; I like him. Bryant is a special talent. Why don't you go look at Portis's numbers back when he was 21?

On 2d thought, don't bother. You've seen enough.

[TGW]

Gotta keep both man. Both have talent.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

One of the worst things the Wizards could do this offseason is throw a ton of money once again at the C position.

It also appears to be a popular idea around here with the suggestions of keeping both Bryant & Portis.

This despite Cs across the league eating the Wizards front line for lunch this season with Andre Drummond being the latest example.

I know they young & developing but as I mentioned a few days back, the C position is a very crowded position as more PFs like Faried are forced to switch to C to stay relevant. Many rosters are filled with one or two traditional bigs on contracts their teams now regret. The FA market will be flooded with capable names. It doesn't make sense to pour a ton of money here.

I think the Wizards should only keep one of the two. I'd lean Bryant because in time you hope he can get stronger and improve his awareness. He also will likely be cheaper because he isn't making 5-6 3s a game.

Portis brings a scoring element but may be capped as a bench player due to defensive limitations. Does it make sense to use limited resources on a backup C with a muted impact because he's a poor defender?

Spending a ton of money here ensures other needs will go unaddressed.

I think the best thing is to pay for Portis. Pick up a McGee for a veteran minimum. Draft from among Fernando, Gafford, or other two-way athletic freak.

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[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Thing is - it was a conventional center - Drummond - that beat up on the Wiz. And Griffin - a big physical PF - completely destroyed our PF's - Green and Parker were awful trying to guard him. I think Portis' best position is PF, and Parker's probably the odd man out - depending on how the rest of the season goes. Additionally, the team needs to add another big - cheaply - that can defend.

History says that's not the case at all. Portis is much better off at the C position. He doesn't have the foot speed for the PF position. He's been at least playable at C, unplayable at PF.

Get out of here with unplayable. Totally disagree with you on that.

C might be his best position but Bobby Portis would be a damn good PF next to Dwight Howard.



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[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Who's this history guy? One thing Portis has impressed me on was his running the court. He got a couple of transition buckets last night. He did get a travelling call after he out-ran the Pistons center one time before he dunked, but most times that doesn't get called. He certainly has the length and strength to play PF, and I think those were the main things missing with our players trying to defend Griffin.

He is a PF who can also effectively play C as far as I know until I learn otherwise.

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[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

One of the worst things the Wizards could do this offseason is throw a ton of money once again at the C position.

It also appears to be a popular idea around here with the suggestions of keeping both Bryant & Portis.

This despite Cs across the league eating the Wizards front line for lunch this season with Andre Drummond being the latest example.

I know they young & developing but as I mentioned a few days back, the C position is a very crowded position as more PFs like Faried are forced to switch to C to stay relevant. Many rosters are filled with one or two traditional bigs on contracts their teams now regret. The FA market will be flooded with capable names. It doesn't make sense to pour a ton of money here.

I think the Wizards should only keep one of the two. I'd lean Bryant because in time you hope he can get stronger and improve his awareness. He also will likely be cheaper because he isn't making 5-6 3s a game.

Portis brings a scoring element but may be capped as a bench player due to defensive limitations. Does it make sense to use limited resources on a backup C with a muted impact because he's a poor defender?

Spending a ton of money here ensures other needs will go unaddressed.

Good point. Centers are a dime-a-dozen these days. Unless you are considering a center who is a game-changing defender (Gobert, Adams) or a true playmaker on offense (Jokic, Cousins) or someone very good and versatile at both ends (Davis, Embiid, Horford) then you shouldn't pay much at all.

Neither Bryant or Portis fit the above categories. They're both playable because they can rebound and hit 3's, but neither are very good just yet. I said in my original post that Bryant should cost maybe $5M. Maybe we should hold out for even less. And I agree that we don't need both Bryant and Portis because we have more pressing needs at other positions (and we still have Mahinmi as an emergency backup center). The bottom line is that if Portis costs too much, we can find another PF/C for real cheap as a temporary replacement. Just get a guy like Mike Muscala for the vet minimum.

Right. Not very good just yet.



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