Back to Wizards talk. From The Athletic.
By Fred Katz Jun 28, 2019
Whom could the Wizards acquire with their mid-level exception and their remaining large trade exception?
The Wizards have two ways to acquire chunky salaried players this summer without having to give anyone up. Both require the nerdiest of explanations regarding the collective bargaining agreement.
They can use the full mid-level exception (MLE), a tool that allows teams over the salary cap but not in the luxury tax to sign players for up to four years at a starting salary of $9.2 million. They also own an $8.6 million trade exception (TPE), which is a bit more complicated but in its simplest terms means they can absorb a salary of $8.7 million — yes, $8.7 million — without having to send back any money in return.
So far this summer, the Wizards have used two other trade exceptions, turning to one to add young talent during Thursday’s deal with the Lakers and another to take on an unwanted contract (Jonathon Simmons’) and thus also acquire a draft pick as a sweetener. The Wizards also received a second-rounder in the Los Angeles swap.
Half the players in the league are free agents this summer. And other teams will try to get rid of consequential salaries without receiving dollars in return. With that in mind, here are some players the Wizards could eye for either exception once free agency begins at 6 p.m. on Sunday:
Candidates for the MLE
Cory Joseph, point guard
Unrestricted free agent
The Wizards are placing Tomas Satoransky at the top of their to-do list to begin free agency, as The Athletic detailed Thursday morning, but that doesn’t mean an agreement between the two sides is a guarantee. And if they don’t end up bringing back their only player with experience starting at point guard in the NBA, they’ll have to find someone else. And they’ll likely have to use the MLE to do it.
The Wizards might not be competitive next year, but employing a competent starting point guard is a must, especially if they bring back promising free-agent center Thomas Bryant, another priority of theirs. Young players, especially big men, need facilitators to get them the ball. If they don’t have that, development can stunt. Bad habits start to arise. The Wizards don’t want any part of a situation so problematic.
Even if Satoransky does return, they could use another lead guard. And they’ve already shown interest in Joseph, as our own Shams Charania reported earlier this week.
The fit would make sense. He’s a 27-year-old two-way player who can run a bench attack for 16 minutes a night while also playing alongside starters for added burn. Though his 3-point-shooting numbers are inconsistent, he’s actually similar to Satoransky in that his catch-and-shoot ones have been respectable for the past two years in Indiana.
Elfrid Payton, point guard
Unrestricted free agent
Payton may just be too expensive for the Wizards, even if he did earn far less than the MLE after a summer of searching last July. A strong finish to the season, however, could propel someone to make a slightly larger offer to the former lottery pick who’s still only 25 years old.
He reeled off five consecutive triple-doubles with the Pelicans in March. Not many point guards can do that. But he also still doesn’t shoot 3s. His scoring is inconsistent. And defenders feel comfortable sagging off him, which clusters offenses more.
He probably fits better as a starter than as a backup — and he could earn a first-string role elsewhere if he couldn’t get one with the Wizards. But if they like Payton and he’s in a pinch, they have something many other teams don’t: Minutes. And if Payton sees a chance to earn some of those, his inclusion into the Wizards’ scene could make sense.
Delon Wright, point guard
Restricted free agent
There’s a good chance Wright will be out of the Wizards’ price range, but let’s add him just for kicks.
The Grizzlies acquired the 27-year-old as one of the main pieces in the Marc Gasol trade, and in all likelihood, they’re not letting him get away easily. Memphis could bring him back for a deal more expensive than the MLE. It could match on any offer sheet he signs elsewhere.
But the Grizzlies also just selected a point guard, Ja Morant, with the No. 2 pick in the draft. And if they want to shift eight-figure salaries to another position, that could mean moving on from Wright — though because he’s a lower-level restricted guy, that decision might not show until later in the free-agency period. If they cut ties, Washington could suit him, whether Satoransky is around or not.
Garrett Temple, wing
Unrestricted free agent
Where is the shooting on this roster?
Bradley Beal. Maybe Bobby Portis — depending on if the restricted free agent returns or not. And is that it? If the Wizards don’t find marksmen elsewhere, the offense will bog down to the bottom levels of the league. So, how about adding Temple, who made $8 million with the Clippers and Grizzlies last season and who is already a known commodity?
One of interim GM Tommy Sheppard’s main missions for the summer is to bring in hard workers and, as they are called colloquially, “character guys.” The Wizards, for whom Temple played from 2012 to 2016, certainly consider the 33-year-old wing firmly in that category. He won’t be as cheap as, say, bringing Jeff Green back on another minimum deal, which is a possibility no matter what happens the rest of the offseason, but he also may not cost the full MLE.
Rodney Hood, wing
Unrestricted free agent
A year ago, Rodney Hood bet on himself.
Amid a disappointing trek through restricted free agency, he decided to take a risk. He entered that season believing he had a chance to get paid. By the end of the summer, he had accepted the qualifying offer Cleveland extended him, choosing to play out the 2018-19 season on a one-year, $3.4 million deal, a decision that would allow him to become an unrestricted free agent during the summer of 2019.
Well, here he is — and one trade to Portland, one triple-overtime thriller and one Game 6 blowup against the Nuggets later, he has a chance to make more than he did this past season.
The Wizards could use shooting. They could use wing depth. They could use the scoring burst. Heck, if unrestricted free agent Trevor Ariza heads elsewhere, there’s a chance they could offer Hood a starting spot. That could be appealing.
He’s still only 26 years old. Even with his ups and downs over the past few years, there’s a reason they would like what they see.
Ed Davis, center
Unrestricted free agent
No, the Wizards most certainly do not need another center. They already have Dwight Howard and Ian Mahinmi. They’re the favorites to bring back Bryant. They just traded for Moritz Wagner from the Lakers. But here’s the thing: Beefing up with another center, as long as it’s the right one, wouldn’t have to make the team so crowded with five-men.
Even though he picked up his player option, Howard doesn’t have to be on next season’s roster. If a buyout or the J.R. Smith/Carmelo Anthony treatment isn’t a possibility, it’s still a wonder if he’s going to be able to play, considering he never returned from his November back surgery. Mahinmi’s presence, meanwhile, shouldn’t prohibit roster movement, considering he fell out of coach Scott Brooks’ rotation for most of last year.
This team was one of the NBA’s worst on the boards in 2018-19. Davis, meanwhile, posted the NBA’s third-best rebound rate, behind only Andre Drummond and Hassan Whiteside.
He put up similar production in Portland before signing with Brooklyn last summer for only $4.5 million. What if this is all his market dictates? What if he’s only slightly more expensive this time around? He’s a winning player, a helpful big who rebounds, defends and is capable around the rim.
He’s not as intuitive a positional need for the Wizards, but that doesn’t have to stop them from inquiring.
Players with significant salaries for the TPE
Patrick Patterson, Thunder power forward
Under contract through 2020
If Patterson were to hit the open market today, he’d be a minimum player, but a deal to acquire him and slide him into the Wizards’ largest TPE wouldn’t be about his production. It would be about the pieces that would come along with him.
The Thunder would like to limit their tax bill for next season. And they would probably be down to add at least one unprotected second-round pick — heck, maybe two — if it meant ridding their books of Patterson’s $5.7 million salary without receiving any money back. The Wizards, who don’t own their own second-rounder until 2024, have already acquired a couple of those over the past week. If they see an opportunity to grab one or two more, they might just take it.
Ersan Ilyasova, Bucks power forward
Under contract through 2021
The Bucks have already made one cap-clearing trade, sending Tony Snell to the Pistons, and there’s no guarantee they’d negotiate another, but if a summer of trying to re-sign helpful free agents — such as Malcolm Brogdon, Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez — turned more expensive than expected, lessening payroll in other spots remains a possibility. And one of the casualties could be Ilyasova, who makes $7 million for each of the next two years but whose salary is only partially guaranteed in 2020-21.
If Portis walks, the Wizards could use a sharpshooting power forward. And if Milwaukee is desperate enough, Washington might be able to get a second-round pick along with him, too — though the Bucks can’t trade a second-rounder until 2022 or later.
If the Wizards struggle this year, Ilyasova is someone they could flip midseason to a decent team looking for a shooting big man, as well.
And he’s not the only person they could acquire with the potential to move again later.
P.J. Tucker, Rockets power forward
Under contract through 2021
This one would require quite a specific scenario, but why not get a little crazy for the finale?
The Rockets are thought to have an interest in four-time All-Star Jimmy Butler, who will command a max contract (or close to it) in free agency this summer. And if they persuade one of the game’s best players to join forces with James Harden and Chris Paul, they will have to make room for him. That means shedding expensive contracts without taking money back.
Starting center Clint Capela’s future in Houston would be in jeopardy in that situation. So would former Sixth Man of the Year Eric Gordon’s. As would Tucker’s. The Rockets’ glue guy is under contract for two more years and makes $8.3 million in the upcoming season, meaning he’d fit into the Wizards’ TPE. And more importantly, he can still produce on both ends.
