The Washington Wizards made a big jump this season by going 44-38 this season and ending up fifth in The Eastern Conference and Marcin Gortat was a big part of that. Gortat was acquired via trade back in October of 2013 and Gortat went on to play 81 games while averaging 13 PPG and grabbing 9 REB per game giving Washington a true post presence for the first time in years. Head Coach Randy Wittman and Senior Vice President Tommy Sheppard traveled to Poland to talk with Gortat about a deal that would keep him in Washington. The terms of the deal which were reported by Yahoo Sports writer Adrian Wojnarowski is a 5 year $60 million dollar deal.
Marcin Gortat is an underrated Center that’s developed nicely over the years. Although Gortat’s best season was back in 2011-2012, but his numbers took a dip this season playing with a more talented roster in Washington. Gortat’s defensive presence is what I’ve always liked about Gortat he averaged 1.5 blocks last season and isn’t afraid to get physical in the post. Washington may have overpaid to keep Gortat, but that could’ve been to seal the deal to make sure he didn’t bother talking to other teams around the league. The Miami Heat reportedly called Gortat to gauge his interest in playing for Miami, but the conversation was short.
Star Point Guard John Wall is aboard with the deal after first tweeting about the signing, and stating now they have to get Small Forward Trevor Ariza signed to a deal next so I think we all know what The Wizards next move will be, but at what price will Ariza comeback for? It may be a little less than Gortat’s, but I expect Ariza to strike a payday as well. If Washington was smart they’d add a few role players to fill out their bench. Washington will certainly be interesting to watch if they can re-sign Ariza and add a solid role player or sixth man to compliment their rotation.
