NBA Free Agency 2015: Nene To Play Different Role For Washington Wizards; Could Add Stretch Four by Ben Mehic

Over the next week or so, we’ll be asking our writers questions that will summarize the Washington Wizards‘ 2014-2015 season. Part 1: Assessing Wittman & his future with the team.



What is the Washington Wizards’ biggest need and which free agent can fill it?

Nithin (@nkuchibhotla): The obvious answer for biggest need on this roster is power forward, specifically of the ‘stretch’ variety.

The Washington Wizards need someone who can space the floor for Wall and Beal and also help grab boards and protect the rim on defense. If you were cooking up this player in a laboratory, it’d be Serge Ibaka.

But in regards to realistic targets using only the Mid-Level Exception, the Wizards should target players like Mirza Teletovic (pending good health) and Brandon Bass (possible Humphries clone). Both can provide spacing and should be able to fit in budget.

I’d rather avoid trying to plug the gap with bargain basement deals using the Bi-Annual Exception for someone like Ed Davis because I think it’d be another band aid on a long-term problem if the Wizards really do intend to play small, as indicated in yesterday’s exit interviews.

If there is a way to unload the Nene contract and open up some cap space, I’d love to go after a player who just knocked us out in the playoffs in Paul Millsap.

After being the best contract in the league for the last two seasons, I’m sure he’s looking to cash in.

But you won’t find a better fit for the slash-and-kick game of Wall and the post up affinity of Wittman.

This may be a pipe dream but if he wants more than Atlanta is willing to pay, maybe Washington can work a sign and trade and include a future pick or two to sweeten the pot.

As a bonus, the second biggest need is actually not far behind in priority; backup guard. This position was a disaster for most of the year after Rasual Butler lost his 2014 shooting touch. And even now, you can count on 2 fingers the number of players who can reliably dribble the ball.

The Washington Wizards had no one to spell Bradley Beal be counted on to provide off-the-bench offensive spark. A player in the mold of Lou Williams would work here, though his shot selection might drive me to jump off the Key Bridge before next year’s all-star break.

David (@DJStatman77): The trend of the NBA is getting smaller and smaller and smaller.

The rumblings are that the Washington Wizards want to follow that trend. Great! If I’ve learned anything watching the Wizards this past year, it’s this: the Nene/Gortat frontcourt can work in the modern NBA, if both guys are healthy and playing at their best.

With the fatally inconsistent, fasciitis-riddled Nene, that’s an enormous “if.” That’s too much of an “if.” That “if” helped kill the Wizards’ best shot at winning the East in decades.

Gortat is worth the money, and his athleticism and skill on both ends of the court should mean that he’ll have no problem adjusting to whatever style of ball that the Wizards want to play, but the jettisoning of Nene should be the first step towards a total reworking of the Wizards’ frontcourt.

It’s a shame that in 2015, Ernie Grunfeld put together a roster where Drew Gooden was the only actual stretch 4 – and nothing of Drew Gooden’s existence made any sense.

Think about it: we just saw the Washington Wizards defeated by a team with a much more modern style, the Atlanta Hawks.

In six games, the Hawks proved absolutely no superiority over Washington in terms of talent, but as they’ve done all season, they won with their ball movement and their spacing.

They still have better players than Atlanta, but that’s the kind of team the Wizards should try and emulate in terms of approach.

And you know who’s conveniently coming onto the market this summer?

Why, one Paul Millsap! We all could use some Trillsap in our lives.

He’d fit in perfectly, and John Wall, worker of miracles, could easily turn him into a 40% 3-point shooter. It might be tough to wrest him away from Atlanta, but the Wizards should at least make a run at him – if not, I’d try to throw money at restricted free agent Tobias Harris.

Oz (@obtoojiveforyou): For a team coming off their second consecutive appearance in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, the Washington Wizards are a team in transition with a roster in need of shooting, depth and youth.

The core is intact with John Wall and Brad Beal in the backcourt, and Otto Porter rounding into form at the small forward position with Marcin Gortat manning the middle.

The glaring weakness: power forward.

The Wizards employed a small ball approach in the playoffs more-so than they had at any other point under Randy Wittman.

The offense thrived as driving lanes and threes became increasingly easier to find within the framework of the offense.

The Wizards used Paul Pierce and Drew Gooden in a stretch-4 role versus their traditional two bigs lineup.

Would that approach carry over into next season? That was answered resoundingly with the message that the Wizards will start next season playing smaller and faster. The problem – going on 38, Paul Pierce isn’t an 82 game option (and may retire) and Drew Gooden is a pending free agent.

The need is heightened by the Wizards place in the Eastern Conference and desire to break through to the Conference Finals.

They need help at that position and can’t wait for it. So where do they go? Their best available tool to add to the roster is the Mid-Level Exception.

The player who I think can help immediately step in and fill that role is Derrick Williams.

Williams has been a relative bust to date but he has the skillset to play the role. At 23-years-

old, there’s still a chance to develop a player who was the second pick in the 2011 draft behind Kyrie Irving. His on-court production has never matched his skillset but he did average 12.5 ppg/7.3 rpg as a starter in 15 games in 2013-2014.

His 3-point shooting has been up and down but this past season he shot 31.4% from three. The upside; he shot 39.5% on corner threes on 48 attempts. Additionally, his ability to run the floor with Wall and straight-line drive off the 3-point line make him an low risk/high reward target that could develop into a find as a stretch-4.

John (@John_Cannady): After reading and hearing about yesterday’s exit interviews with Gortat and Nene and the big men making some….interesting…..observations; my knee-jerk answer was going to be ‘a stretch four that can shoot the three.

However, remembering how much the Washington Wizards struggled when the bench came in, I have to say: a reliable two-guard that can stroke the three and get out and run on the break.

I feel that the perfect guy would be: Gerald Green.

Green, a former NBA slam dunk champion, is an athletic freak that is a walking highlight reel and has added a three point shot to his game which the Wizards could use coming off the bench.

Currently on the roster, the Wizards have Garrett Temple and Martell Webster listed as backup two guards but for them to contend, they have to have an upgrade of talent above Temple, who started the 2014-2015 at SG and Webster, who still has the question of whether he can ever make it all the way back after his many tweaks of his back.

Webster has even hinted that he will retire after his contract with the Wizards is up. During the playoffs, to give Beal a breather usually at the closing minutes of the first quarter and the beginning of the second quarter, Wittman would have Wall and Sessions (who was brought in as the backup PG) on the floor at the same time.

While Sessions is a quality player, he doesn’t have the size, skills, or athleticism that Green possesses. Plus, with Green being on the squad, Wittman could use the ‘small ball’ lineup of Wall, Beal, Porter, Green and Gortat for stretches at a time to the Wizards advantage.

However, Green does have his own issues. Green is now back in the league after being away from the league a few years. He cited his immaturity as one of the main culprits of why teams were shying away from giving him a shot.

I feel that Wall and Beal will start to lead the team with the lessons Pierce taught them, so Green’s personality/swag wouldn’t be a problem.

With Gerald Green on the squad along with Wall and Beal, the Wizards would be arguably one of the most athletic teams in the East.