The current relationship between center Marcin Gortat and the Washington Wizards appears to be tenser than ever following a tumultuous season in which Washington significantly underwhelmed.
Once a serviceable starting center, Gortat is now past his prime and has turned into a rotational piece at best but remained Washington’s starter last season. His sporadic play paired with his midseason exchange with John Wall and his gaudy contract has the Wizards front office reportedly looking to trade him away.
According to ESPN TrueHoops’ Bartosz Bielecki, Gortat himself is almost positive a trade is imminent, expressing that the front office has already made up their mind about shipping him away to the Western Conference in the coming days.
Gortat says he's 99% sure he'll get traded soon. "The decision has been made by the front office." Says he's anticipating a move to the Western Conference within a couple of days. #DCFamily #Wizards https://t.co/AyuslB52Ie
— Bartosz Bielecki (@bart__92) June 21, 2018
If the Wizards are actually committed to offloading Marcin Gortat in the near future, it’s hard to blame them as they try to get out from under the 5-year, $60 million contract they inked him to in 2014.
Once a stalwart inside and a consistent double-double, Gortat has seen his play on the interior crumble the past couple seasons. This past year, Gortat averaged the lowest scoring and rebounding marks of his career since 2010, posting only 8.4 points per game to go along with 7.6 rebounds.
Washington rosters a younger, more capable center option behind Gortat in Ian Mahinmi who was also awarded a pricey long-term contract two offseasons ago. Keeping both bigs over the past couple years has not only proven to be redundant but has also taken a major toll on their cap flexibility.
Though it was reported that Washington was looking to pair an expiring contract such as Gortat’s with their 15th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, it remains to be seen whether this is the only way they can deal the veteran center.
