Washington Wizards: Why Nene Will Still Play An Important Role This Season

Washington Wizards: Why Nene Will Still Play An Important Role This Season by Ben Mehic

Prior to the beginning of training camp, the Washington Wizards already had 15 players under guaranteed contracts — the most allowed by the NBA.

For a player on a non-guaranteed contract to earn a roster spot, team president Ernie Grunfeld would either have to waive a player with guaranteed salary or move a player in a trade. That scenario — one which would force the Washington Wizards to essentially eat money — wasn’t very likely.

With that said, Washington still didn’t have much trouble finding players to accept training camp deals.

NBA veterans Ish Smith, Josh Harrellson and Toure’ Murry all agreed to join the club prior to the beginning of camp. They were accompanied by two lesser known rookies, Jaron Johnson and Jaleel Roberts.

All five players were given chances to play during preseason and none of them really stood out.

Today, Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post reported that all five players were waived:

The #Wizards have cut Josh Harrellson, Ish Smith, Jaron Johnson, Jaleel Roberts and Toure’ Murry. As expected. — Jorge Castillo (@jorgeccastillo) October 24, 2015

Harrellson had positive moments, along with Smith and Johnson, but they didn’t do enough to warrant a trade. The Wizards already have multiple big men on their roster that can space the floor, which essentially eliminated Harrellson’s chance of making the team.

Drew Gooden, Jared Dudley and Kris Humphries are all capable of playing stretch four. Harrellson is a consistent shooter from the perimeter, but he leaves a lot to be desired on the defensive end of the floor. More importantly, DeJuan Blair has never looked better. Once he gets healthy, Blair is going to find himself on the floor for Washington.

Smith looked solid in flashes, but again, Washington is already set at point guard.

John Wall will obviously get the majority of minutes at that spot and Ramon Sessions has been very steady off the bench as well. Garrett Temple is capable of playing that position too. If a trade occurs, then Smith might get a call back. Otherwise, we probably won’t get to see him play for the Wizards anytime soon.

Murry never really found his rhythm in preseason. He had a 10-day stint with Washington this past season, but the Wizards want to play faster and increase their output from the perimeter. Murry is a good defender, but he lacks shooting ability.

Johnson was undoubtedly my favorite player of the bunch. The 23-year-old shooting guard has a lot of upside. If the Washington Wizards had a D-League team, then he would’ve made the cut. He can shoot the ball and he’s shown an ability to finish at the basket.

Roberts is another player who would be a good fit for the team’s non-existent D-League club. The 23-year-old, 7-footer is a project in every sense of the word. He doesn’t have an offensive game, but it’s hard to find athletic 7-footers nowadays. He has a lot of upside, especially on the defensive end of the floor.

These cuts were expected. Washington will keep an eye on these players for the future. If they end up landing a top free agent next summer, then they’ll have to fill out the rest of their roster with players on league minimum deals. Players like Harrellson, Smith and Johnson would all be available at that rate.