The Washington Wizards will have a hard time keeping key contributors like Otto Porter and Bojan Bogdanovic this offseason, with $91 million in guaranteed salary for next season. The Wizards made it to the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs despite a rough start in the 2016/17 season. John Wall has become more than the All-Star Wizards executives were expecting him to be, and Bradley Beal is finally healthy for the first time in two years. Unfortunately, no matter how promising this backcourt duo is, the Wizards are nothing but a cash-strapped franchise that could lose key players on their roster if their cap space flexibility isn’t resolved.
Is this bye-bye for Porter and Bogdanovic?
According to Dan Favale of Bleacher Report, the Wizards, with a projected starting cap of -$12.4 million, will have to be creative in order to retain the service of at least one of their two key contributors outside the Wall-Beal dynamic.
Bogdanovic, a trade deadline from the Brooklyn Nets, is putting up strong numbers (13.7 points on 44 percent FG shooting and 36 percent from 3-point line) off the bench for the Wiz since the trade. With his salary expected to double up from $3 million this season, Washington has no choice but to let the Croatian walk away in free agency this summer.
As for Porter, the former Georgetown Hoyas standout had a career year from beyond the arc (43 percent) this season.
He also averaged 13.4 points and 6.4 rebounds and did a remarkable job as another 3-and-D guy for Washington. However, Porter’s breakthrough year does not bode well for the Wizards, who will have to pay him $25 million per year, or cap-rich teams like the Brooklyn Nets can snag him out of nowhere.
Max deal for Porter
“Front office execs told ESPN.com's Zach Lowe in December that Porter will get max offers in restricted free agency, and his value has only increased since,” said Favale, who thinks the Wiz can actually avoid paying luxury tax despite re-signing Porter to a large deal by renouncing their hold on Bogdanovic and not using the mid-level exception.
Then again, getting more ammunition (free-agents) for next season will be even more painstaking for Washington. The Wiz can only pray that Kelly Oubre blossoms into an elite player off the bench, or they will likely hit rock-bottom again, with non-playoff teams expected to catch up next season.
