The Wizards’ with the highest salaries for next season – if they re-sign Otto Porter, as they’ve repeatedly said they will – are slated to be:
- Bradley Beal
- Otto Porter
- John Wall
- Ian Mahinmi
- Marcin Gortat
- Markieff Morris
- Jason Smith
That’s a point guard, a shooting guard, a small forward, a power forward and three centers.
Even Washington’s starting center, Gortat, can see where the bloat is.
Candace Buckner of The Washington Post:
Marcin Gortat said this summer he's going to speak with agent & figure out "if this is the right fit."
— Candace Buckner (@CandaceDBuckner) May 16, 2017
Gortat, via J. Michael of CSN Mid-Atlantic:
Keeping Porter, who could command a max salary in restricted free agency, would push the Wizards near the luxury-tax line. Dumping the 33-year-old Gortat this summer to dodge the tax might have been the intended plan.
Gortat has two years and more than $26 million left on his contract, and he’s likely to decline. This could be the right time to sell.
But his replacement would be Mahinmi, who’s 30 and spent most of the year injured. He doesn’t look ready to assume a major role on a team knocking on the door of the conference finals.
Potential trade partners also understand Gortat’s aging curve. There also isn’t much demand for centers in a league where size has been deemphasized and most teams already have at least one starting-caliber center.
Gortat is still Washington’s best player at the position. Keeping him might not be ideal, but unless Mahinmi looks much more physically capable by next fall, it might be the Wizards’ best option, though they’d be forced to duck the tax with other moves.
