Loading ...Since the Washington Wizards are currently only $2 million under the salary cap the team does not possess the ability to shop for a high profile free agent in the summer of 2012. This means that outside of the small moves Washington makes to fill out their roster the Wizards won't be involved in any deals of interest this offseason.
The team also has all of its major players under contract for the 2013 season and beyond. Five of the players currently listed on the team website's roster are free agents, including Cartier Martin, Maurice Evans, Brian Cook, James Singleton, and Morris Almond. Though not listed on the website, Roger Mason is also an unrestricted free agent.
Regardless of whether or not the team signs any of these players, D.C. basketball fans are in for a mostly boring offseason when it comes to free agency news.
Thankfully, the summer sagas of JaVale McGee and other notable former Wizards can keep fans entertained until training camp begins. Here now is Wizards 101's tracker of some notable personalties who recently graced the Verizon Center floor.
Status: Restricted Free Agent
Ah, McGee. As Wizards fans well know, JaVale is a never-ending source of entertainment. Whether he's connecting on monstrous, athletic dunks or owning SportsCenter's Not Top Ten for weeks with this gem, McGee has proven that he is a unique commodity in this league and a definite player to watch.
For the most part, he proved that he was no joke in the 2012 NBA Playoffs with the Denver Nuggets. In seven games, McGee averaged 8.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 3.1 blocks per game. NBA.com has him pegged as one of the best available free agents left on the table. McGee's most probable course of action would be to resign with Denver.
Status: SIGNED by the Miami Heat
Today, ESPN officially announced that Rashard Lewis would be joining the Miami Heat alongside recent free agent acquisition Ray Allen.
After costing the Wizards approximately $40 million for two seasons, Lewis will sign with the NBA champion Heat for two years and $2.6 million at the veteran's minimum. Assuming that he'll be healthy for the 2012-13 season, Lewis could provide Miami with yet another three-point threat surrounding the superstar trio of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh.
Status: SIGNED by the Philadelphia 76ers
Though the NBA world has known about Young's choice of the Sixers for a few days he could not officially sign with Philadelphia until today. Young and the Sixers have reportedly agreed to a one-year contract worth $6 million.
Young's addition to the team supplements Philadelphia's recent loss of 2012 Sixth Man of the Year runner-up Louis Williams to the Atlanta Hawks. A former USC Trojan and Wizard, Young played very well for the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2012 postseason after being dealt by Ernie Grunfeld to L.A. towards the end of the trade deadline.
Young should compete for playing time with Evan Turner and Jodie Meeks while providing Philly with a proven, yet sometimes erratic scorer.
Other notable former Wizards in free agency include Kwame Brown, Randy Foye, Kirk Hinrich, Antawn Jamison, DeShawn Stevenson, and the Ghost of Gilbert Arenas.
Tags: Basketball, Gilbert Arenas, JaVale McGee, NBA, Nick Young, Rashard Lewis, Washington, Washington Wizards
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