After a breakout year, Otto Porter Jr. is ready to get paid, but are the Washington Wizards ready to pay him?
As the 2016-17 NBA campaign winds down, many front offices will be looking to see how they can take their team to the next level. For the Washington Wizards, who lost in the second round of the playoffs to a tough Boston Celtics team, their focus will be on getting their franchise from a playoff team to a title contender.
It's clear that the Wizards' backcourt is their core. Bradley Beal and John Wall are the focal points of the team. If you don't believe me look at these harsh numbers from the playoffs:
Offensive Rating WITHOUT John Wall: 97.9
Offensive Rating WITHOUT Bradley Beal: 94.3
Now let's compare that to when they're on the court:
Offensive Rating WITH John Wall: 109.1
Offensive Rating WITH Bradley Beal: 110.2
They Washington Wizards know who their stars are; that hasn't been a question for years. The problem is they don't have enough talent to compete with the likes of LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers or Isaiah Thomas and the Boston Celtics.
So what do you do going into this offseason? Do you run it back with the same squad and hope the team improves? Do you make a trade to free up some cap room?
These are all very important and tough decisions Ernie Grunfeld will have to make, but before he even thinks about those two options, he's gotta assess what to do with restricted free agent Otto Porter Jr.
Otto Porter broke out in a big way this season for the Washington Wizards. Look at the jump he make from last year to this year:
| Season | Age | Tm | GS | MP | FG% | 3P% | eFG% | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 22 | WAS | 73 | 30.3 | .473 | .367 | .541 | .754 | 5.2 | 1.6 | 1.4 | 0.4 | 11.6 |
| 2016-17 | 23 | WAS | 80 | 32.6 | .516 | .434 | .608 | .832 | 6.4 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 13.4 |
| Career | 166 | 24.9 | .481 | .389 | .552 | .774 | 4.5 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 9.3 |
He made a jump in almost every single category. He shot more at a higher percentage, he redounded better and he even increased his free throw percentage. Some would say this is an incredibly promising sign for a player who's only 21 years old. The only problem is, he's a restricted free agent.
This offseason teams, can come in and offer him as much money as they are willing to dish out. Teams other than the Washington Wizards can offer Otto Porter Jr. approximately $25.5 million a year for a four-year max. The only thing they can't offer that the Wizards can is a fifth year on his deal.
So will teams try to give Otto Porter Jr. a max deal? Yes, of course they will. If you're the Brooklyn Nets, Phoenix Suns or Miami Heat, why wouldn't you? Those teams desperately need talented players and have the time and space to take on a contract that large. Mark my words, teams will be offering Otto Porter Jr. top money, and they might force the Wizards to make a tough decision quickly this offseason.
This is where being a general manager gets tricky. Otto Porter Jr. was clearly the third-best talent on the team last year. He was lethal from anywhere on the court and made teams play him honest in turn creating driving lanes for the likes of John Wall and Bradley Beal. But is he worth a max contract? Are the Washington Wizards, who are already low on cap space, willing to tie up nearly $26 million a year to Otto Porter Jr.?
The answer is maybe. There are a slew of top level free agents who you could get for similar money this offseason that could make the Wizards better. To list a few, the Wizards could make a push for: Gordon Hayward, Blake Griffin, Paul Millsap, Danilo Gallinari or Serge Ibaka. All of the following will most likely be looking for similar money, and a chance to compete in the playoffs.
The reason the answer is maybe is because free agency can never be relied on. All of those stars could go to different teams in a a few weeks time and leave the Wizards with nothing.
Choosing to match any deal for Otto Porter Jr., is a statement that the Washington Wizards believe in their guy. It means they don't think his numbers were a fluke last year and that he could improve yet again next season.
On the other hand, letting him leave for a big contract leaves the Wizards hoping to attract a top talent in free agency or risk being a much less competitive team next season.
At the end of the day, it's Ernie Grunfeld's decision, and it may just come down to how much he believes in his guy. We watched him extend Bradley Beal last offseason because he believed in his guy even through injury and look how that panned out for him.
The only thing he can't afford doing is being complacent. The Wizards, with or without Otto Porter Jr., are not talented enough to compete against the best in the league, and if that truly is the goal, this offseason might be a lot messier than one max contract.
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