The Washington Wizards will have to make a decision on what they want to do with Otto Porter Jr. this offseason. Porter is coming off a breakout year that came at the perfect time for him and probably the worst possible time for the franchise. In 2013, Porter signed a deal that was only work $19 million over four years. His next deal could be worth more than $19 million per year. That’s incredible.
Porter is one of the hottest names on the free agent market and now the Wizards will have to decide whether to pay up or try to trade him. Porter’s restricted free agent status means the ball is in their court, so it will be interesting to see how they deal with this situation. He’s an important cog on the team but he’s mostly a three-point specialist; is he worth $128.2 million over five years?
The challenge for Washington is that they look like they might be one or two pieces away from being an Eastern Conference finalist. John Wall and Brad Beal have long been the stars but they’ve needed a third option. This year, Porter emerged as he scored 13.4 points per game. More importantly, he was an ace from the outside, averaging 1.9 threes per game. He was essentially the NBA’s best three-point shooter this year. Do they want to go into the luxury tax to keep him? If so, the Wizards maintain their status but have no cap flexibility. If not, they lose a player that spreads the court and opens things up for the rest of the team.
There are already a slew of teams – ones with cap space – that are lining up to sign Porter. The thinking is that the Wizards won’t want to match the deal. We’ll find out soon but as of now, here is a look at four teams that are pursuing Otto Porter Jr. this offseason.
Brooklyn Nets
The Nets made it clear they understand the position they are in and are willing to do whatever it takes t get out of it when they handed Tyler Johnson a $50 million offer sheet. Brooklyn dumped numerous first round picks when they traded for Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Jason Terry and their lack of draft capital has really put the franchise in an awful position. The Nets would be more than willing to steal Porter away from Washington and they wouldn’t have to worry about the prize tag that he would demand. Brooklyn will have a lot of work to do to turn things around. It would provide a major boost if they could steal Otto Porter from the Wizards this offseason.
Philadelphia 76ers
The 76ers are another team that can be aggressive chasing after Porter this offseason. Philadelphia has assembled a young core that might be capable of challenging for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference as soon as this season. The additions of Ben Simmons, who didn’t play all of last season, along with porter would likely put the 76ers over the top this season. Philadelphia has the cap space to give Porter a max contract so don’t be surprised if they are among the teams that pursue him this offseason.
Orlando Magic
The Magic has a new GM, some decent young pieces and a ton of cap space to use if they want to test out the free agent market. It will be extremely hard to convince free agents that Orlando is the ideal destination for them. However, a max contract might and some talented young players might be enough to convince Porter it is the right fit for him. The Magic undoubtedly need a ton of shooting help so finding a way to sign Porter as an RFA might help accelerate the process of becoming a contender once again.
Dallas Mavericks
The Mavericks proved they are serious about contending now when they went all-in on DeAndre Jordan and then ended up settling for Harrison Barnes. Dirk Nowitzki might be back for one more year but even then Dallas will want to Porter if they can. The Mavericks relied on too many veteran players last season and it really hurt them. If they can find a way to sign Otto Porter as an RFA this offseason, it will be the type of impact move that puts them on the right path as they are forced to confront the eventual reality of life after Nowitzki.
Bet on all of the big NBA games this week at Diamond Sportsbook! Get the latest NBA betting lines right here.
