The free agent craziness will begin tonight at midnight as NBA franchises around the league try and land a player who can either turn their franchise around from failure, or find the player who can complete their roster and turn them into legit championship contenders. At first glance, the Wizards and the fans shouldn't worry about center DeAndre Jordan's decision in his free-agent sweepstakes. But when looking at how it can affect other free agents, the Wizards come into play. Jordan is an unrestricted free agent most likely deciding between the Los Angeles Clippers or the Dallas Mavericks, Wiz fans should be hoping he makes the move to Dallas. Why?
Paul Pierce had opted out of his contract a couple days ago making him an unrestricted free agent. There have been rumors ever since the season ended that Pierce would like to go to Los Angeles not only because they are a championship contender, but also because they are coached by Doc Rivers, with whom Pierce won a title with in Boston during the 2008 season. If Jordan were to decide to sign with Dallas, more than likely Pierce would return to the Wizards because it would take the Clippers out of championship talks, but if he returns to Los Angeles, Pierce is probably as good as gone.
The 38-year-old veteran is definitely not the player that he used to be (one of the best small forwards in the league putting up 20-plus points a night), but he still had a huge impact for the Wizards. During the playoffs where Pierce had shined bright his whole career, he lit a fire under the Wizards after making the comment that the Raptors lacked the 'it' factor heading into the series. The comments were to not only frustrate the Raptors, but also to motivate Pierce to play as if he were still in his prime. It paid off as it helped the Wizards complete the first sweep in franchise history.
Otto Porter benefitted tremendously from Pierce's veteran leadership as he finally made himself known once the playoffs came. With their first-round draft pick Kelly Oubre Jr. getting ready to join the locker room as well, Pierce could help him grow on the court while also showing him how to be a professional off the court.
The Wizards should hope that Dallas offers Jordan any contract that he wants so they can retain their veteran and make another run at the Eastern Conference Finals.