Washington Wizards’ Martell Webster Talks About His Future, Music, Health and More by Ben Mehic

More than John Wall, Bradley Beal or any other member of the Washington Wizards, Randy Wittman was undoubtedly the biggest topic of conversation this past season.

His reluctance to play small-ball during the regular season placed him on the fan base’s hot-seat following losses to the likes of Philadelphia and Minnesota late in the year. However, Playoff Wittman appeared in the postseason and suddenly played lineups that utilized players to the best of their abilities.

After having success while playing small during the playoffs, Wittman finally seems to have accepted the change and the Washington Wizards are (hopefully) going to move forward without their archaic style.

With that said, even with the changes made, there are still some question marks surrounding the team.

How much will the departure of Paul Pierce impact the Washington Wizards? Will their free agent additions be enough to sustain a winning record throughout the course of an 82-game season?

These questions have been answered by plenty of writers this summer, but one question has been forgotten: will Randy Wittman return after this upcoming season?

The veteran coach signed a three year contract extension with the Washington Wizards following their first playoff appearance in nearly half a decade two seasons ago.

Believe it or not, Wittman’s is entering the final guaranteed year of his new deal with the Wizards:

The Wizards have not disclosed the terms of the agreement, but other outlets have reported Wittman will receive a three-year deal worth about $3 million per season. A person who has been in contact with the Wizards said the third season will be a team option.

The summer of 2016 will certainly be focused on Kevin Durant. The hometown hero will probably meet with several teams before opting to leave/re-sign with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

While this upcoming season will obviously play a factor in Durant’s decision, it’s safe to assume that he’ll likely meet with the Washington Wizards next summer.

What does that have to do with Randy Wittman?

Well, trying to sign a top free agent without a head coach in place would be a tough sell.

That could potentially cause the Wizards to pick up Wittman’s option before the free agency process begins.

Of course, a lot of that will depend on how well the Washington Wizards perform this upcoming season.

If Washington fails to get better or don’t meet the team’s expectations, Ernie Grunfeld (if he’s still under contract, because quite frankly, no one knows what his contractual status is) and Co. could decide to move on without Wittman.

If that does happen, meaning the Wizards have a bad 2015-2016 campaign, then Washington might pursue a free agent coach. If that’s the case — I’ll stay on the Kevin Durant topic — Washington could decide to go after Scott Brooks, who coached their top free agent target in Oklahoma City.

As of right now, this is all speculation.

Regardless of what happens with Durant, the Washington Wizards will still have to make a decision on Wittman. We saw the team have success while playing small-ball during the playoffs, but that doesn’t mean it will translate to the regular season.

Besides that stretch of games during the playoffs, Wittman has never altered his coaching style drastically.

Remember, his stubbornness has caused some to question his abilities to adapt. This is the same coach that told Kevin Love to stop shooting three point shots in Minnesota, after all.

Again, it will all depend on how well the Washington Wizards play this upcoming season, but Wittman’s future with the team is still somewhat uncertain.

He’s heading into the final guaranteed year of his contract. Players typically perform well during their final years with the team. Maybe we’ll see Wittman have a career season too?