There was a time this offseason when it seemed like the relationship of the Washington Wizards and Marcin Gortat was ending. When the Wizards' previous campaign concluded, Gortat publicly complained about his present role with the team. The center's revelation led to his name getting dragged into the NBA trade rumor mill. However, in a recent podcast interview, Gortat's tone changed. The 33-year-old veteran sounded happy coming back to Washington. He added that during the exit interview, where he voiced out his displeasure, he was just readying himself "for the worst."
Gortat remained a starter for Washington in the 2016-17 season, even if his scoring diminished.
In the regular season, he only averaged 10.8 points per game, the lowest since he joined the Wizards. His offense continued to sour during the playoffs with his average dropping to 8.1 points. He had no problem when it came to rebounding as he even tallied career-bests in this department.
Jahlil Okafor staying in Philly for now
For the first time in a long time, Jahlil Okafor is safe from trade rumors. According to ESPN, the big man is "expected" to join the Philadelphia 76ers when they begin training camp in September. This is excellent news for the former Duke Blue Devils star whose name frequented speculations in the last two seasons.
Okafor is already preparing for the upcoming season and is heading into camp weighing 20 pounds less.
In an interview, he shared his diet which made him lighter and healthier. He is exerting effort to achieve his goal of playing 82 games in the regular season, something he is yet to do in his young career. Another challenge for the 21-year-old is earning his minutes. The 76ers' current roster is loaded with frontcourt players, and if he wants to get playing time, he must compete with the likes of Joel Embiid and Tiago Splitter.
Pacers keeping Myles Turner
Another prominent center who is sticking with his current team is Myles Turner. The Indiana Pacers' prodigy put up a splendid outing in the past season, and because of this, several organizations had him on their trade radars. The bad news for these interested teams is that the Pacers exercised the player option in Turner's contract, which means he is going to be in Indiana until 2019. Turner aims to be a young leader for the Pacers who lost their franchise star Paul George in a surprising trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder in July.
