The Washington Wizards 2013-2014 season was a very successful one. They finished the regular season with a 44-38 record, a 15-win improvement from a year earlier. For Wizards fans this was a great season and the most competitive they have seen out of DC in a long time. But considering how weak the Eastern Conference was this year, reaching the 5th seed was a slight disappointment.
Once the Wizards reached the playoffs, for the first time since the 2007-2008 season, they seemed to elevate their performance on the court. Washington was matched up against the tough, defensive minded Chicago Bulls. Most of the experts went with the battle tested Bulls, but they were completely wrong as the Wizards handled them with ease. The Wizards took care of the Bulls in five games, winning all three of their road games.
Washington was eventually eliminated in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals by the bi-polar Indiana Pacers. The Wizards had plenty of chances to close out games and move on to face the defending champion Miami Heat, but their youthful backcourt and inexperience as a group caught up to them as they lost in six games.
Going into the off-season and moving towards the 2014-2015 season, the Washington Wizards have plenty of promise. The goal for this Wizards team this year was to just make the playoffs. Going into next season Washington has its sights set further than just making the dance. The Wizards want to make the playoffs and advance even further. That’s easier said than done, but with the potential of the same core group of guys returning and the re-signing of their head coach Randy Wittman, they have a realistic chance of reaching their goals as the Eastern Conference will still be up for grabs.
In terms of the team and their core group of players, the Wizards have some work to do and money to spend. Going into costless agency the Washington Wizards have nine of their own costless agents.
The Wizards started the process on Tuesday as they agreed to a five-year deal worth $60 million to retain Polish center Marcin Gortat. The deal doesn’t officially go through until July 10th, when the costless agency moratorium ends. This was huge re-signing for the Wizards as Gortat was Washington’s most effective post player on both sides of the ball. To retain such a key player from a year ago is crucial for the team’s success moving forward.
The Wizards next target is 6’8” wingman Trevor Ariza. Ariza is coming off his best season in which he averaged 14.4 points and 6.2 rebounds. He was the Wizards best 3PT shooter (.407%) and most consistent defender. According to John Wall and other teammates, Ariza was one the Wizards leaders on and off the court.
The Wizards met with Ariza at his home in Los Angeles in hopes of swaying him to return to D.C. Recent reports suggest that the Wizards feel very confident that Ariza is going to re-sign, but when money and other teams are involved nothing can ever be certain.
The other seven players the Wizards have to figure out if they want back are Trevor Booker, Kevin Seraphin, Garrett Temple, Al Harrington, Drew Gooden, Chris Singleton, and Glen Rice Jr.
The toughest player of the bunch to re-sign is Trevor Booker. He has gained interest from several teams and the price tag might be too high for the Wizards liking. The big question for Al Harrington is whether he wants to play or retire. If he decides to play, the Wizards seem to be in play for his services. Drew Gooden played very well after Washington signed him in the second half of last season, so the guess is that the Wizards are going bring back the 12-year veteran, who meshed very well with the team from day one. Unless other teams outbid for Garrett Temple, fans can assume he would be brought back to Washington.
The three question marks are Seraphin, Singleton, and Rice. The Wizards already declined Singleton’s option before the season so assumingly he won’t be back. Glen Rice Jr. was a rookie last year and didn’t see much of the floor. So if the Wizards need to fill a final roster spot, surely he has the upper hand. As for Kevin Seraphin, the Wizards extended to him a qualifying offer so we will see what happens.
As for potential costless agents, the Wizards are probably not going to be major players in the costless agent market. With Wall’s max contract extension kicking in next season, Nene’s $13 million a year, Gortat’s new deal, and Bradley Beal’s future big contract, the Wizards have no extra money to go out and get a big piece or an above average player off the bench. If they re-sign Ariza they will have a mid-level exception that can range up to $5 million. Aside from that the Wizards will have to be creative and find players who fit their system and are willing to take a pay cut.
One direction Washington might go in filling out their roster is sifting through the undrafted players from this year’s draft. The Wizards traded their second-round draft pick to the Lakers for cash, so they didn’t have to spend money on a pick. But there were plenty of talented players who went undrafted, so the Wizards can sign young players with specific skill sets who don’t cost them much at all.
With all that said, the Washington Wizards seem to be on the right path going into next year. If Trevor Ariza re-signs they will have their core group of players returning, including one of the best young backcourts in the NBA, John Wall and Bradley Beal. They don’t need to make major changes to the roster; all they need to do is make some minor tweaks that make them go from a team who makes the playoffs to a team that is ready to be a full-fledged title contender. The Wizards became such a cohesive unit by the end of the season; expect them to take the next step in their development and challenge for the top spot in the Eastern Conference.