Randy

Wittman

Washington owns the Nos. 3, 38 and 54 selections this year, but the appear unlikely to use the two second-round choices. Although the draft is still a month away, the Wizards have already been linked pretty heavily to Georgetown swingman Otto Porter, which makes a lot of sense considering their inability to develop quality wing players over the past few years. With Nerlens Noel and Ben McLemore slated to go 1-2 in some order, Porter should be there at No. 3 if the Wizards are interested.

“I think Randy did a very good job for us this season,” he said. “We improved on the defensive end and that’s one area we really wanted to work on, because we feel if we’re going to be a solid team moving forward, you have to have a foundation and the foundation starts on the defensive end.” It doesn’t sound like anyone should be anticipating a coaching change right now.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Wittman will serve as a coaching consultant and report to head coach Frank Vogel. Wittman was fired by the Wizards after they failed to reach the postseason during the 2015-16 season and has a head-coaching record of 278-403 (wins to losses). The Magic are also promoting Jay Hernandez and Matt Hill after assistant David Adelman moved on to Denver.

The arena known as “The Phone Booth” will need a new nickname when Verizon’s naming rights end in 2018. The Verizon Center should have a terrific backcourt calling that arena home for the next few years while the Wizards look to bring Kevin Durant home.

Rogers spent last season as an assistant coach with the Nets, and now he will make the move to Washington... it’s a slow news day folks.

The deal is reportedly worth $3 million per season with the final year as a team option. Wittman guided the Wizards to a 44-38 record this season before bowing out in the Eastern Conference semifinals, marking Washington’s first postseason appearance since 2005. He has his players’ support, and this extension is a powerful endorsement from management in a league with very high turnover for coaches.

It didn’t take long for the Wizards to replace Sam Cassell and Rogers will head south from Brooklyn where he was an assistant last year. Rogers was a first-round pick back in the famed 1996 draft and played for four teams as a player.

Both sides were known to have interest in an extension after Washington was eliminated in the Eastern Conference semifinals, and a three-year extension would give him substantial job security. Wittman had an inauspicious career before taking the reins in D.C., and the Wizards finished the 2013-14 season ranked ninth in defensive efficiency.

Wittman’s two-year deal expires this summer but Washington appears ready to lock him up with another multi-year deal following the Wizards’ surge into the second round of the playoffs. The 2013-14 season marked the first time Wittman has guided his team to a winning record during eight seasons as an NBA coach.

We saw a lot of this in the playoffs with Otto Porter playing some four next to Paul Pierce. During the course of the season and playoffs, the Wizards used a lineup of Porter, Pierce, John Wall and Bradley Beal at 1-4 while using a big for a combined 90 minutes. In those instances, they had a whopping 124.0 offensive efficiency rating while their defensive rating was 110.4. If coach Randy Wittman wants to please his owner, we should see more minutes out of Porter and Jared Dudley (back). Marcin Gortat shouldn’t be affected much here, though.