The Washington Wizards had their most successful season in a decade and now they have some major offseason questions, as they have to decide on bringing back one or both of Marcin Gortat and Trevor Ariza, as they are set to be free agents, while the team also could consider trades for names like Greg Monroe, Roy Hibbert or Carmelo Anthony, as all three have Baltimore-Washington DC area connections.
While those deals are extremely unlikely, the Wizards are in a nice spot right now with John Wall and Bradley Beal still very young and with that core coming back, other players could be more willing to come to DC. According to ESPN.com write Marc Stein and his summer plan series, the team will likely have to decide between signing back Gortat or Ariza and with that, they could have a "fantasy" run at someone like Monroe, who is set to be a restricted free agent. Hibbert looked like he could be out of favor in Indy with his playoffs performance, but he has come back to earth and likely will not be going anywhere.
Gortat and Ariza are the two biggest concerns for the Wizards this summer and they have a big decision to make for the future of the team about who they bring back. Both players made massive impacts for the Wizards as they won their first playoffs series in years and many execs think that the trade for Gortat before the season from the Suns was the best trade of the offseason, or at least the one that had the most impact. Gortat gave the team size in the middle along with Nene and that is why they defeated the Chicago Bulls in the playoffs and while the team lost to the Pacers, they showed they are a franchise on the rise.
Wall is turning into a dynamic player, while Bradley Beal can't even drink legally yet and that makes the Wizards a solid destination for free agents and other players after years of being terrible. Ariza is an athletic player that can shoot the three and he was essential for the team this season and in the playoffs and now the Wiz may have to decide one or the other heading into the summer. Gortat is the likely pick since the Wizards had to give up a draft pick to get him with the Phoenix Suns before the season, but if his demands are too high, the team could bring back Ariza.
Monroe is from the area and went to Georgetown and he has been rumored as a trade target for the Pistons, who just brought in Stan Van Gundy. Stein mentioned Anthony, as he has Baltimore ties, but he likely will be looking at the Knicks, Houston Rockets and Chicago Bulls as his only options in free agency. Hibbert isn't moving since the Pacers know how important he is, but the Wizards would be an attractive destination since he also is from the area and went to Georgetown as well. Gortat nearly averaged a double-double for the Wizards and he has shown that he can be a force in the middle and that is another reason why he likely will be the one to sign back this offseason for the Wiz.
